¥M 


k'T^i 


i^^^^- 


i^ 

^^f 

ii^ 

Wk 

'  .-^s^  ■■ 

■^^ 

^, 


*r\^ 


yj 


*^^^;i^ 


tf^\ 


'The  Princess  soon  found  out  the  Pearl  Fountnin,  and  saw  the  Fairy  and  the  Wren 
playing  together." — Page  16. 


nil-:     PEARL    FOUNT 

AIN 

AND 

(Dtl)er  i'airij    vtalcs 

nv 

in>^IDGI-T  AXI)  JULIA   KAVAXAGII 

wrrir  ti/irtv  n.LrsTRATioxs 

I!V 

J.    MOYR    SMITH 

4 

NF.W    YORK 

ni:.\R\-     HOI.T     AND     COM  I' AN  N' 

1876 

nuiR»- 


WFTOP 


I 


J..11N  F.  Trow  .-t  Son.  Pkinters. 
05-213  Kast  12TH  St.,  Nkw  York. 


iri^HMtJa^HitMW^^rf— ^1 


CONTENTS. 

TACS 

THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN     .          .          - I 

THE  SILVER  FISH     .          •  ,      3         *         «         »          •          •         •  2i5 

THE  GOLDEM  HEN              .          •••...•  47 

SUNBEAM  AND   HER  WHITE  RABBIT          ....  67 
redcap's  ADVENTURES  IN  FAIRYLAND               ...           .87 

FIRE  AND  WATER      .,•...•••  I03 

TIPSV'S  SILVER  BELL 119 

PRINCE  DORAN 147 

FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE 165 

BATTY 197 

FEATHER  HEAD 219 


B92320 


yiirf  Fiiifiii, 


LONG  time  a^^o  the  Fain'  Ouccn 
thought  she  woul-cr 'go  about  to  see  how 
all  the  fairies  '.vho  liVe'  in 'i'lood?,. rivers, 
streams,  and  fountains  were  getting  on 
since  the  last  hundred  years,  for  it  is 
only  once  in  a  century  that  her  Majesty 
can  take  such  a  survey  of  her  subjects. 
After  travelling  a  long  time,  scolding 
some  fairies  who  had  got  into  mischief, 


2  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

and  praising  others  who  had  behaved  well,  the  Queen 
came  at  length  to  an  old,  old  forest  which  grew  on  the 
very  top  of  a  rocky  mountain,  and  where  the  trees  were 
so  large  and  the  shade  was  so  thick  that  it  was  all  green 
within.  Indeed  it  was  so  green  a  place,  so  dark  and 
so  cool,  that  people  were  afraid  of  it,  and  kept  aloof 
But  the  Fairy  Queen  was  afraid  of  nothing  ;  moreover 
she  had  particular  business  in  that  forest.  She  wanted 
to  see  a  little  fairy  who  was  only  three  days  old,  and  to 
whom  the  fountain  of  the  forest  had  been  given  by  her 
mother.  The  Queen  found  the  little  Fairy  all  alone 
by  her  fountain.  It  was  a  beautiful  fountain ;  the 
water  was  as  clear  as  clear  could  be  ;  it  came  sparkling 
out  of  a  rock,  leaped  down  other  rocks,  then  ran  away 
and  hid  itself  in  the  moss.  It  looked  quite  a  merry 
sort  of  fountain,  and  the  little  Fairy  to  whom  it  be- 
longed looked  every  bit  as  merry  ;  for  when  the  Queen 
cafr,e  upcn.  her,  she  v/as  dancing  in  the  shade  and 
singing  to  herself  in  a  sweet  clear  voice,  because  you 
see  fairies  can  talk,  just  as  they  can  run  about,  as 
soon  as  they  are  born. 

The  Queen  of  the  Fairies  has  no  children  of  her  own. 
but  she  is  very  fond  of  little  children,  and  she  always 


THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN.  3 

thinks  the  last  baby  she  sees  the  prettiest.  She  thought 
so  of  this  young  Fairy,  who  was  really  a  pretty  crea- 
ture, for  she  had  golden  hair,  blue  eyes,  and  ros\-  cheeks, 
and  her  mother*  knowing  the  Queen  was  coming,  had 
dressed  her  out  in  a  little  frock  of  silver  tissue,  shot 
with  green  and  blue. 

•'Well,  my  dear,"  graciously  said  the  Queen  of  the 
Fairies  to  this  young  thing,  "do  you  know  who  I  am  ?" 

"Oh  yes,"  answered  the  little  Fairy,  "you  are  her 
Majesty." 

'•What  a  clever  child  you  are,"  said  the  Queen,  quite 
pleased  ;  "  and  who  are  you  .^ " 

"Please  your  Majesty,  I  am  the  little  Fairy  of  the 
little  Fountain." 

"My  dear,  you  could  not  have  answered  me  better; 
and  now  what  gift  will  you  have  from  me,  my  love?" 

"  Pearls,"  answered  the  little  Fairy. 

•'Then  pearls  you  shall  have,"  said  the  Queen,  "as 
many  as  ever  you  can  wish  for.  Your  fountain  shall 
be  all  pearls,  and  you  may  do  what  you  lik^vith  them  ; 
but  you  will  have  to  count  them,  every  one." 

"I  shall  like  that,"  answered  the  little  Fairy,  "for  no 
one  must  ever  take  so  much  as  one  of  my  pearls." 


4  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

"Well,"  said  the  Queen,  "if  you  mean  to  keep  your 
pearls  to  yourself,  you  must  live  here  all  alone,  and 
never  go  out." 

"  I  shall  like  that,  too,"  said  the  little  Fairy,  "  for  I 
shall  sing  to  myself,  and  play  with  my  pearls  ;  and, 
please  your  Majesty,  may  I  be  called  the  Fairy  of  the 
Pearl  Fountain." 

The  Queen  let  her  have  that  also,  then  went  her 
way.  The  Fairy  of  the  Pearl  Fountain  remained  in  the 
forest,  and  lived  there  till  she  grew  up  to  be  the  loveliest 
young  Fairy  that  had  ever  been  seen.  She  had  a  white 
marble  basin,  made  for  the  water  of  her  fountain  to  fall 
into,  and  the  most  beautiful  wild  flowers  set  in  the  green 
moss  around  it.  The  water  sprang  up  in  a  jet  from  the 
centre  of  the  basin,  and  the  delight  of  the  Fairy  was  to 
stand  in  the  very  middle  of  it,  clothed  in  her  robe  of 
silver  tissue,  shot  with  green  and  blue,  for  it  was  not  a 
frock  now  that  she  was  grown  up,  and  to  throw  the  water 
up  ever  so  high,  till  it  reached  the  sunshine ;  and  every 
drop  of  wPlr  she  threw  up  was  a  pearl  when  it  came 
down  again— a  beautiful  white  pearl.  Some  were  big 
pearls  and  some  were  little  ones,  and  the  bottom  of  the 
marble   basin  was   covered  with  them.       Indeed,  there 


THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN.  5 

were  so  many  that  the  Fairy  was  oblijjcd  to  let  the 
smallest  trickle  away  every  night  through  a  little  slit  in 
the  basin  ;  for  if  she  had  not  done  so,  it  would  have 
overflowed.  So  the  pearls  slipped  away,  and  rolled 
down  the  rocks  on  the  mountain-side,  but  no  one 
minded  them,  or  if  some  passer-by  did  see  them  by 
chance,  why  he  thought  he  saw  drops  of  water  and  no 
more.  Though  she  had  so  many  pearls  the  young  Fairy 
never  thought  she  had  too  many,  and  all  her  delight 
was  to  adorn  herself  with  them.  She  strung  the  largest 
and  the  clearest  on  a  thread  of  gold,  and  mixed  it  up  in 
her  hair,  and  she  made  a  necklace  of  more,  and  brace- 
lets for  her  wrists,  and  a  waist-band,  and  the  hem  of  her 
silver  tissue  robe  was  all  studded  with  pearls;  and  there 
was  not  another  fairy  who  had  so  many.  She  counted 
them  every  one  as  the  Queen  had  ordered  her,  and  when 
she  laid  herself  down  on  the  moss  at  night  she  still 
counted  them  in  her  sleep.  Indeed,  she  was  so  fond  of 
her  pearls,  and  so  jealous  of  them,  that  she  never  left 
her  fountain  lest  any  one  should  come  aneHpeal  them 
whilst  she  was  away. 

This    lasted  a  long   time  ;    till   one    day   the    Fair)-, 
finding  that  no  one  ever  came  near  the  place,  and  wish- 


6  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

ing  to  go  and  see  her  sister,  who  Hved  outside  the  forest 
in  a  crystal  turret  on  a  rock,  and  was  indeed  no  less 
than  the  Fairy  of  the  Waterfall,  put  on  her  best  pearls 
and  left  her  fountain  for  the  first  time.  Being  a  fairy, 
she  could  go  on  counting  the  pearls  of  the  fountain 
all  the  same.  Well,  the  Fairy  was  glad  to  see  her  sister, 
and  pleased  to  climb  up  to  the  very  top  of  the  crystal 
turret,  and  look  down  at  the  world  below,  for  she  had 
never  been  out  before,  and  she  was  enjoying  herself  very 
much,  when  all  of  a  sudden  she  cried  out :  "  I  must  go  ; 
I  miss  a  pearl ;  no,  it  is  not  one,  but  two.  I  declare 
three  pearls  are  gone." 

"  What  matter  about  three  pearls,"  said  her  sister ; 
"  have  you  not  got  enough  .''" 

But  the  Fairy  of  the  Pearl  Fountain  declared  there 
was  no  misfortune  like  that  of  losing  one's  pearls,  and 
went  away  in  a  great  hurry.  She  missed  two  more 
pearls  as  she  walked  through  the  forest,  for  she  was  not 
one  of  those  fairies  who  have  only  to  wish  themselves  in 
a  place  to^e  in  it ;  and  on  reaching  the  fountain,  she 
looked  at  once  for  the  thief;  but  she  only  saw  a  little 
wren,  perched  on  the  edge  of  the  marble  basin,  and 
catching  a  drop  of  the  spray  in  her  bill  as  it  fell. 


THE  pi'.ARL  ror.VTAiy.  7 

"  You  little  robber,"  cried  the  Fairy  in  a  raje  ;  "  i?  it 
you  who  have  been  stealing  my  pearls  ?" 

"  Please,  ma'am,"  replied  the  Wren,  quite  frightened  at 
seeing  her  so  angry,  "  I  am  only  drinking  a  drop  ot 
water." 

"  A  drop  of  water  !  don't  you  know,  you  dishonest 
bird,  that  what  was  only  a  drop  of  water  when  you 
drank  it,  would  have  turned  into  a  beautiful  pearl  if  it 
had  fallen  into  the  basin.  Look  down  at  the  bottom 
and  see.     All  these  pearls  were  drops  of  water  once." 

"  I  protest,  ma'am,  I  knew  nothing  of  the  kind," 
answered  the  little  Wren,  speaking  very  humbly,  for  she 
had  never  seen  so  grand  a  lady  as  the  Fairy  of  the 
Pearl  Fountain,  with  her  beautiful  hair  and  her  pearls; 
"  I  saw  water,"  continued  the  Wren,  *'  I  was  very  thirsty, 
and  I  made  bold  to  drink.  Surely,  I  thought,  the  good 
Fairy  who  owns  this  lovely  fountain  will  never  be  angry 
with  me  for  taking  a  drop  of  water ;  and  I  can  assure 
you,  ma'am,"  added  the  Wren,  dropping  the  Fairy  a 
curtsey,  "  that  it  was  the  very  sweetest  water  I  ever 
tasted,  and  I  do  hope  \'0u  will  forgive  me."  The  Fairy 
of  the  Pearl  Fountain  had  a  hasty  temper,  but  she  was 
not  hard-hearted  ;  she  looked  kindly  down  on  the  little 


8  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

Wren,  and  said,  "You  are  a  silly  bird,  and  I  daresay 
did  not  know  pearls  from  water.  I  suppose  I  must 
forgive  you  this  once,  but  mind  you  never  do  such  a 
thing  again." 

"  Oh  no,  ma'am,  never,"  answered  the  Wren  very 
earnestly.  "  And  please,  ma'am,  may  I  go  home  to 
the  palace  now  .'* " 

"  Home  to  the  palace  }  "  repeated  the  Fairy.  "What 
do  you  mean  .-*  " 

Now  every  one,  big  or  little,  has  a  story;  and  the 
story  of  the  Wren  was  this: — She  had  built  her  nest 
in  the  garden  of  the  King's  palace,  and  was  making 
herself  comfortable  there,  when  the  young  Prince 
found  her  out,  caught  her,  and  would  have  killed  her, 
if  his  sister  had  not  come  up  in  time  to  save  her  life. 
The  Princess  did  more ;  for  she  took  the  poor  little 
VWen,  who  was  frightened  to  death,  to  her  own  room, 
and  gave  her  a  beautiful  cage  to  live  in,  and  keep 
her  out  of  danger;  but  as  the  Wren  is  fond  of  going 
about,  she  let  her  have  a  fly  every  day,  and  kept  a 
window  in  her  room  alwa\-s  open,  so  that  she  might 
have  no  trouble  in  getting  in  or  out.  All  this  the 
Wren  told  the  Fairv,    not    in    a    few  words,  but    in    a 


THE  PEARL  rOU.\TAlN.  9 

good  many  ;  for  she  is  a  chatterbox  if  ever  there  was 
one,  and  can  talk  by  the  hour.  The  Fairy,  however, 
did  not  mind  letting  her  have  her  say  ;  for  she  had 
got  into  the  fountain  again,  and  was  throwing  up  the 
water  ever  so  high,  and  trying  to  catch  the  beautiful 
pearls  as  they  fell  back.  She  missed  a  good  many,  for 
some  rolled  down  her  neck  and  shoulders,  and  others 
got  in  her  hair  and  stayed  there  ;  and  others,  again, 
slipped  through  her  fingers  and  fell  into  the  basin. 

"Oh!  ma'am,  how  beautiful  \'ou  are!"  the  W'icn 
could  not  help  saying;  "and  how  prett}-  it  is  to  see 
you  playing  with  those  lovely  pearls." 

"You  have  a  great  deal  of  sense,"  said  the  Fairy. 
"  B}-  the  way,  what  is  x-our  name  .-'" 

"  Jenny,  ma'am,"  answered  the  Wren,  dropping  her 
another  curtsey.  "  The  Princess  alwa\-s  calls  me 
Jenny." 

"  Never  mind  the  Princess,"  said  the  Fairy  a  little 
tartly;  "but  mind  what  I  say.  Well,  then,  Jenn\-, 
suppose  that  you  and  I  have  a  game  together  with 
my  pearls.  I  shall  throw  them,  and  you  shall  catcii 
them  again  and  drop  them  into  the  basin  ;  and  when 
we  have  done,  I  do  not  mind   letting  you  have  a  drop 


lo  THE  PEARL  FOONTAIN. 

of  water  to  drink.  You  are  a  very  little  bird,  and  a 
little  drop  of  water  will  do  you." 

The  Wren  asked  no  better  than  to  play  with  the 
Fairy ;  so  the  game  began.  The  Fairy  caught  the 
drops  of  water  as  they  fell,  and  threw  them  to  the 
Wren,  who  caught  them  in  her  bill — one  after  another, 
of  course — then  dropped  them  into  the  basin.  The 
Wren  was  a  clever  bird,  and  played  so  well  that  she 
only  missed  three  times.  The  Fairy  was  delighted 
and  declared  she  had  never  had  such  fun.  In  short, 
they  played  till  they  were  both  tired,  when  the  Fairy 
said,  "  There,  Jenny ;  that  will  do  for  to-da}'.  Drink 
your  drop  of  water,  and  go  home  to  the  palace.  You 
may  come  again  to-morrow  and  have  another  game 
with  me,  but  mind  that  you  tell  no  one  about  my 
Pearl  Fountain." 

"  May  I  not  tell  the  Princess  } "  asked  the  Wren. 

"Certainly  not,"  said  the  Fairy ;  "  if  \'ou  do,  I  shall 
never  forgive  you  ;  besides,  I  am  a  fairy,  and  I  shall 
find  it  out  and  punish  you  at  once." 

The  Wren  promised  not  to  say  a  word,  and  flew 
home  to  her  cage  in  the  palace.  She  was  afraid  lest 
the    Princess   should   ask  her  where  she  had    been,  as 


THE  PEAKL  FOUNTAIN.  1 1 

she  often  did  ;  but  she  had  just  been  told  by  her 
father  that  he  had  promised  her  in  marriage  to  the 
King  of  the  Diamond  Isles,  and  she  was  so  full  of 
that,  and  of  all  the  diamonds  she  was  to  have,  that 
she  never  even  saw  when  the  Wren  flew  in  through 
the  window.  The  Wren  made  as  little  noise  as  she 
could,  and  pecked  her  supper  quietly,  though  she  had 
never  been  so  hungry  in  her  life.  Water  may  turn  into 
pearls,  but  it  is  not  the  thing  to  satisfy  one's  appetite. 

Well  the  next  day  the  Wren  flew  to  the  Pearl  Foun- 
tain, and  the  Fairy  threw  the  pearls  at  her,  and  the 
Wren  caught  them  in  her  bill  and  dropped  them  into 
the  basin.  When  she  was  tired  she  had  her  drop  of 
water,  but  though  she  asked  to  be  allowed  to  bathe 
in  the  fountain,  the  Fair\'  would  not  hear  of  it,  and 
was  very  cross  with  her  for  so  much  as  thinking  of  such 
a  thing.  The  Princess  was  not  in  her  room  when  the 
Wren  flew  back  to  her  cage  that  day,  and  when  she 
came  in  the  Wren  had  her  head  under  her  wing  and 
was  fast  asleep. 

Matters  went  on  so  for  a  good  while.  Every  day  the 
Wren  flew  to  the  Pearl  Fountain,  and  played  at  catch- 
ing the  pearls   with  the  Fairy,  and  every  evening  siie 


12  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

flew  home  to  her  cage  in  the  room  of  the  Princess,  who 
was  so  taken  up  with  her  wedding  clothes  that  she 
never  thought  of  asking  her  where  she  had  been. 

The  Fairy  became  so  fond  of  the  Wren  that  she 
thought  she  would  leave  her  in  charge  of  the  fountain, 
whilst  she  went  to  see  her  sister  again.  The  Wren 
did  not  like  being  left  alone,  but  the  Fairy  promised  not 
to  be  long  away.  "  I  shall  be  back  before  sunset,"  she 
said,  "  and  you  can  play  as  much  as  you  like  with  my 
pearls,  and  even  drink  three  drops  of  water,  and  all  I 
want  you  to  do  is  to  stay  and  watch  by  the  fountain, 
and  if  any  one  should  come  nigh  it  to  call  me  three 
times.     I  shall  hear  you  and  come  at  once." 

The  Wren  agreed  to  this,  and  stayed  by  the  fountain 
whilst  the  Fairy  went  to  see  her  sister.  She  played 
with  the  pearls  till  she  was  tired,  then  she  drank  three 
drops  of  water,  then  she  stood  on  the  edge  of  the 
basin,  and  thought  how  nice  and  cool  a  bath  would  be. 
The  day  was  a  hot  one,  the  Fairy  was  away.  "She  will 
never  know  anything  about  it,"  said  the  Wren  to  herself 
She  spread  out  her  wings,  fluttered  over  the  water,  and 
had  the  most  delightful  bath  she  had  ever  had  in  her 
life.     She  was  enjoying  herself  to  her  heart's  content, 


THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN.  13 

and  had  just  begun  drying  herself  in  the  sun.  when 
there  came  a  great  rushing  noise  which  filled  the  whole 
forest.  It  was  the  King  of  the  Fairies  driving  by,  but 
the  Wren  knew  nothing  about  that.  She  was  fri'^htened 
out  of  her  wits.  Indeed  she  lost  her  head  entirely,  and 
instead  of  calling  the  Fairy  as  she  had  promised  to  do 
in  case  of  danger,  she  flew  home  to  the  palace  as  fast 
as  ever  her  wings  would  take  her,  and  never  thought 
herself  safe  till  she  lay  panting  in  the  bottom  of  her 
cage.  It  unluckily  happened  that  the  Princess  was  in 
her  room  just  then,  trying  on  her  wedding-dress. 

"Why,  Jenny,"  she  cried,  "what  is  the  matter  with 
you  .•*" 

"  I  was  bathing  in  the  forest,"  answered  the  Wren, 
"when  there  came  a  great  noise  that  frightened  me,  so 
I  flew  home.  See,  I  am  not  dry  yet."  She  shook 
her  wings  and  a  beautiful  pearl  rolled  down  on  the 
bottom  of  the  cage. 

"  I  declare  that  is  a  pearl,"  said  the  Princess,  all 
amazed.  "  Why,  Jenny,  where  have  you  been  bathing, 
and  where  did  you  get  that  lovely  pearl  V 

"A  pearl  1"  repeated  the  Wren,  who  did  not  know 
wliat  to  say. 


14  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

"Yes,  a  pearl,"  said  the  Princess,  who  had  picked 
it  up  and  was  looking  at  it,  "the  biggest,  whitest, 
loveliest  pearl  I  ever  saw.     Where  did  you  get  it  ?" 

The  Wren  tried  not  to  answer  this,  but  the  Princess 
insisted  upon  knowing  how  she  had  got  the  pearl,  and 
the  Wren  did  not  dare  to  deny  her.  So  having  first 
made  her  promise  that  she  would  not  mention  it  again, 
she  told  her  all  about  the  Fairy  and  the  Pearl  Foun- 
tain. When  the  Princess  heard  about  a  fountain  in 
which  every  drop  of  water  became  a  pearl  she  nearly 
went  crazy,  so  eager  was  she  to  get  at  it.  She  wanted 
the  Wren  to  take  her  to  it  at  once,  but  that  the  Wren 
would  not  do  ;  then  she  tried  to  coax  her  into  stealing 
some  of  the  pearls  and  bringing  them  home  to  her,  but 
the  Wren  would  not  hear  of  such  a  thing. 

"Well,  at  least  I  shall  keep  that  pearl,"  said  the 
Princess,  and  the  Wren,  who  could  not  take  it  from  her, 
said,  yes,  she  might.  When  the  Wren  flew  to  the  Pearl 
Fountain  the  next  day,  the  Fairy  gave  her  an  angry  look. 

"  Why  did  you  leave  my  fountain  yesterday  before  I 
came  home  .^"  she  asked. 

"  I  heard  a  great  noise  and  I  got  frightened," 
answered  the  Wren. 


IHE  PEARL  FOUXTAIN.  1 5 

•*  Why  did  you  not  call  me  ?  "  asked  the  Faiiy. 

*•  I  forgot  it,"  replied  the  Wren. 

"I  miss  a  pearl,"  said  the  Fairy;  "what  have  you 
done  with  it  ?  " 

The  Wren  was  afraid  to  say  the  truth,  so  she 
answered,  **  I  was  playing  with  the  pearls,  when  one 
rolled  out  and  fell  in  the  grass,  and  I  could  not  find  it 
again." 

The  Fairy  could  have  known  the  truth  by  looking  in 
her  book,  but  she  kept  it  under  a  stone  in  the  bottom  of 
her  basin,  and  there  were  so  many  pearls  on  the  top  of 
it  that  she  did  not  like  to  disturb  them. 

"  Well, '  she  said  to  the  Wren,  "  you  have  behcived 
very  badly,  and  I  am  very  angry  with  \-ou  ;  but  if  I 
forgive  you  this  time  will  you  do  it  again  ?" 

"  Oh  no,  indeed  !  "  answered  the  Wren.  So  the\- 
made  it  up,  and  had  a  game,  and  were  as  happy  to- 
gether as  they  had  ever  been. 

As  soon  as  she  took  the  pearl  from  the  Wren,  the 
Princess  sent  for  the  Court  jeweller,  and  gave  it*to  him 
to  set,  for  she  meant  to  wear  it  on  her  wedding-day. 
The  jeweller  declared  that  the  pearl  was  the  finest  he 
had  ever  seen,  upon  w  hich  the  Princess,  instead  of  being 


i6  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

glad  that  she  had  it,  only  thought  of  all  the  pearls  in 
the  fountain  which  she  had  not.  She  lay  awake  the 
whole  of  that  night,  thinking  of  them  still ;  and  one 
thing  she  was  resolved  upon  when  she  got  up  in  the 
morning,  and  that  was  to  find  out  the  Pearl  Fountain, 
and  to  take  some  of  the  Fairy's  pearls.  "  She  has 
so  many  of  them,"  thought  the  Princess,  "  that  she 
ought  not  to  mind  my  having  a  few  ;  and  then  what 
a  fine  thing  it  will  be  for  me  to  be  spoken  of  as  the 
Princess  who  had  so  many  pearls,  and  who  married 
the  King  of  the  Diamond  Isles  !  " 

The  Wren  was  in  no  hurry  to  meet  the  Fairy  that 
day.  She  took  her  fl}'  rather  late  ;  but  the  Princess, 
who  had  been  watching  her  since  the  morning,  followed 
her  at  a  distance,  entered  the  forest  after  her,  and 
stealing  behind  the  trees,  soon  found  out  the  Pearl 
Fountain,  and  saw  the  Fairy  and  the  Wren  playing 
together.  At  last  the  Wren  flew  away,  and  the  Fairy, 
who  was  tired,  laid  herself  down  on  the  moss  to  sleep. 
The  Princess  waited  a  while,  then  she  stole  softly  on 
tip-toe  to  the  edge  of  the  marble  basin,  and  holding 
up  both  her  hands,  she  caught  the  pearls  as  fast  as 
ihey  fell.     When  her  hands  were  full,  she  dropped  the 


THE  PEARL  FOCNTAIN.  17 

pearls  down  on  the  moss,  and  thought  to  begin  again 
and  have  quite  a  heap  of  tliem.  But  the  Fairy,  wlio 
had  been  counting  them  in  her  sleep  all  the  time,  now 
missed  them,  and  starting  up,  said  angrily,  "  Who  steals 
my  pearls  ? " 

The  Princess  was  so  frightened  that  she  had  not  a 
word  to  say  for  herself,  and  the  Fairy  said  again  in  the 
same  angry  voice : 

"  What  brought  you  here  ?  " 

"  I  wanted  some  pearls  from  the  Pearl  Fountain," 
replied  the  Princess. 

"And  who  told  you  about  the  Pearl  Fountain?" 
asked  the  Fairy. 

"  The  Wren  told  me,"  answered  the  Princess. 

"  And  who  are  you  ? "  inquired  the  Fairy. 

"  I  am  the  King's  daughter,"  said  the  Princess,  "  and  I 
am  going  to  marry  the  King  of  the  Diamond  Isles,  and 
as  }'our  fountain  is  in  my  father's  kingdom,  I  think  you 
might  give  me  some  pearls  for  a  wedding  present." 

"  You  shall  not  have  one  pearl  from  my  fountain," 
said  the  Fairy  ;  "  I  keep  all  these  for  myself,  but  go  back 
the  way  you  came,  and  stand  at  the  foot  of  the  rock  on 
your  right  hand  as  you  leave  the  forest.     You  will  see 


iS  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

pearls  rolling  down  its  sides.  These  you  may  pick  up. 
They  are  small,  and  I  do  not  mind  letting  you  have 
them." 

"  May  I  have  them  all  ,^"  asked  the  Princess. 

"  Every  one,"  replied  the  Fairy,  "  but  mind  it  is  only 
for  this  once  ;  and  though  you  may  stay  as  long  as  you 
please,  and  take  away  as  many  pearls  as  you  can  pick 
up,  you  need  never  come  again,  for  not  another  pearl  of 
mine  shall  you  get." 

Though  the  Princess  thought  the  Fairy  very  stingy 
not  to  let  her  have  a  few  big  pearls,  she  also  thought 
that  little  pearls  were  better  than  none,  so  she  thanked 
her,  and  went  back  the  way  she  had  come.  She  found 
the  rock  to  her  right  just  outside  the  forest,  and,  sure 
enough,  there  were  the  beautiful  pearls  rolling  down  its 
sides,  and  looking  so  white  and  clear  in  the  moonlight. 
The  Princess  began  picking  them  up  as  fast  as  she  could. 
"  I  must  have  a  necklace,"  she  thought,  "  and  as  the 
pearls  are  small  it  will  take  a  good  many,"  Then  when 
she  really  had  enough  for  a  necklace  she  wanted  some 
for  a  tiara,  after  that  she  wanted  bracelets,  and  after 
bracelets  a  waistband  like  the  fairy's,  then  a  trimming 
for  her  wedding  dress,  then  pearls  for  rings,  ear-rings, 


THE  PEARL  FOUXTMX.  19 

and  brooches,  then  more  pearls  for  double  sets  of  every- 
thing-, then  pearls  to  give  away  to  her  ladies,  then  pearls 
for  herself  to  keep;  in  short,  though  she  spent  the  night 
gathering  pearls,  she  had  not  got  half  enough  by  da\-- 
break.  She  was  very  tired,  but  since  she  could  have 
pearls  only  this  once,  she  thought  it  would  be  the 
greatest  pity  in  the  world  to  ^o  away  without  taking 
as  many  as  she  could.  So  the  pearls  rolled  down  the 
rocks,  and  the  Princess  picked  them  up,  and  the  more 
she  had,  the  more  she  wished  to  have. 

When  the  King  heard  that  the  Princess  was  missing 
he  was  in  a  sad  way.  He  asked  the  Wren  about  her, 
but  all  the  Wren  knew  was,  that  the  Princess  was  in  her 
room  when  she  went  out  to  have  her  fly,  and  that  she 
was  no  longer  there  when  she  came  back.  No  one  else 
knew  anything,  and  only  one  thing  was  certain,  that  the 
Princess  had  not  spent  the  night  in  the  palace.  The 
King,  her  father,  was  distracted  with  grief,  and  the  King 
of  the  Diamond  Isles,  who  had  just  arrived  in  order  to 
marr\-  the  Princess,  lost  his  appetite  at  once,  he  felt  in 
such  trouble.  The  King  sent  messengers  to  look  for  his 
daughter  in  every  direction.  They  scoured  the  country, 
and  found  her  at  length  very  tired  and  rather  hungry, 


20  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

but  still  picking  up  pearls.  When  they  wanted  to  take 
her  back  to  the  palace,  she  said  it  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  they  were  to  tell  the  King  that  she  had  still 
ever  so  many  pearls  to  gather  before  she  could  leave  the 
spot.  The  king  was  very  much  amazed  when  the  mes- 
sengers came  back  without  the  Princess,  and  told  liim 
where  they  had  found  her,  what  she  was  doing,  and 
what  she  had  said. 

"Pearls,"  said  the  King;  "and  what  can  she  want 
with  pearls  when  she  is  going  to  marry  the  King  of  the 
Diamond  Isles  to-morrow  1  I  must  go  and  see  about 
all  that  myself." 

But  when  the  King  went  and  found  the  Princess,  and 
saw  all  the  pearls  she  had  gathered,  and  those  she 
was  gathering  still,  and  when  she  told  him  that  if  she 
once  left  this  spot  she  could  never  have  any  pearls 
again,  he  began  to  think  what  a  pity  it  would  be  not  to 
let  her  get  as  many  as  she  could. 

"Well,  my  dear,"  he  said  to  his  daughter,  "I  shall 
ask  the  King  of  the  Diamond  Isles  to  wait  a  day  or  two, 
and  in  the  meanwhile  you  may  go  on  gathering  pearls. 
And  suppose  that  for  fear  of  accidents  I  should  take 
away  these  and  keep  them  for  you  under  lock  and  key." 


THE  FEARL  FOUNT  A IX.  21 

The  Princess  agreed  to  this.  Tlic  Kiiv^  took  a\va\' 
all  the  pearls  she  had  picked  up,  and  there  was  quite 
a  heap  of  them,  and  stowed  them  awa\'  in  great 
chests  in  the  palace.  He  also  asked  the  King  of  the 
Diamond  Isles,  who  recovered  his  appetite  directly  on 
learning  that  the  Princess  was  safe,  to  wait  a  few  da}'s 
for  her.  The  King  of  the  Diamond  Isles  grumbled 
a  little,  but  to  please  his  father-in-law  that  was  to  be, 
he  said  he  would  wait  seven  days  for  the  Princess. 

But  when  the  seven  days  were  out,  the  Princess  said 
she  had  not  yet  got  pearls  enough,  and  her  father 
persuaded  the  King  of  the  Diamond  Isles  to  wait 
seven  days  more.  And  so  matters  went  on  from  one 
seven  days  to  another,  the  Princess  still  gathering 
pearls,  and  the  King  her  father  taking  them  away,  and 
locking  them  up,  and  neither  thinking  they  had  enough, 
till  the  King  of  the  Diamond  Isles  got  tired  waiting, 
and  went  off  one  morning  without  so  much  as  ever  saj-- 
ing  good-bye.  Indeed  he  went  straight  off  to  the 
Queea  of  Emeralds,  whose  daughter  he  married  that 
afternoon.  The  King  was  vexed  and  the  Princess  felt 
rather  sorry,  but  she  thought  she  must  only  gather 
more  pearls  to  make  up  for  all  the  diamonds  she  had 


22  THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 

missed.  So  she  went  on  picking-  them  up,  and  when 
she  had  a  heap  her  father  took  it  away  in  a  great  sack, 
and  locked  it  up,  till  at  length  all  his  chests  were  full, 
and  he  thought  one  day  he  must  see  how  many  thou- 
sand pearls  he  had  got.  He  unlocked  one  chest  and 
opened  a  sack,  and  out  came  ever  so  many  drops  of 
water,  that  rolled  all  over  the  floor. 

"  My  goodness  !  "  cried  the  King,  "  there's  some  mis- 
take." 

He  opened  the  next  sack;  out  came  more  drops  of 
water.  Then  the  next  and  the  next  again,  and  all 
the  sacks,  and  all  the  chests  were  full  of  drops  of 
water,  and  in  the  whole  of  them  there  was  not  so  much 
as  one  pearl.  For  the  pearls  were  pearls  for  the  Prin- 
cess  only,  and  for  nobody  else.  When  the  King  saw 
this,  and  what  a  mistake  he  had  made,  he  got  into 
such  a  rage  that  he  had  a  fit,  of  which  he  died  the 
next  day.  The  Princess  was  very  sorry  for  her  father's 
death,  but  she  said  the  pearls  were  pearls  indeed, 
and  she  went  on  gathering  them  at  the  foot  of  the 
rock.  There  she  stands  to  this  day  picking  them  up 
as  fast  as  she  can,  and  never  thinking  she  has  enough. 

When  the  Wren  flew  to  the  forest  again,  the  Fairy 


'  When  she  had  a  heaj',  her  father  took  it  nw.iy  in  .1  great  5.ick  "— /'.i^«-  aa 


THE  PEARL  FOUNTAIN. 


23 


was  ever  so  angn'  with  her  for  having  told  tlic  Princess 
about  the  Pearl  Fountain,  but  the  Wren  begged  so 
hard  for  forgiveness,  and  fluttered  so  prettily  about 
her  feet,  that  the  Fairy  said  : 

"  Well,  I  shall  forgive  you  once  more,  but  lest  you 
should  tell  tales  again,  you  shall  stay  for  ever  in  the 
forest  with  me." 

So  whilst  the  Princess  is  gathering  pearls  at  the  foot 
of  the  rock,  the  Fairy  and  the  Wren  are  playing  at 
their  game  with  the  pearls  of  the  Pearl  Fountain ;  and 
no  one  has  ever  found  out  in  what  forest  that  fountain 
is,  nor  on  what  mountain  that  forest  grows,  nor  in  what 
part  of  the  world  that  mountain  lies. 


f^^"~,-j_  i  HERE  was  a  palace  once,  and  in  the 
---Trr—  _  ,  palace  there  lived  a  queen,  who  was 
called  the  Queen  of  t^mcralds,  she  had  so  many  of 
them.  In  front  of  the  palace  there  w'as  a  large  pond, 
and  the  Queen,  thinking  what  a  pity  it  would  be  to 
keep  it  empty,  had  it  stocked  with  gold  and  silver 
fishes.  E/ery  oiie  said  how  clever  that  was  of  the 
Queen,  and  every  one  \va.s  pleased  save  the  frogs  who 
lived   in   an   old  well  in  the  garden  behind  the  palace. 


26  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

They  were  very  angry,  indeed,  that  the  Queen  had  not 
put  them  into  the  pond. 

"What  can  the  Queen  want  with  gold  and  silver 
fishes?"  said  a  frog  called  Jumper.  "Can  they  jump 
in  and  out  of  the  water  as  I  do  ?" 

"Besides,  they  are  dumb,"  said  Croaker;  "and  I 
have  a  lovely  voice." 

"Jumping  and  singing  are  all  very  well,"  said  Bul- 
rush, the  oldest  of  the  frogs  ;  "  but  what  I  do  not  like 
is,  that  the  water  goes  from  our  well  to  feed  that 
pond.  We  shall  be  left  dry  some  day  unless  I  put  a 
stop  to  it." 

."We  wish  you  would.  Bulrush,"  said  all  the  other 
frogs ;  "  3'ou  are  so  clever,  you  know." 

"  I  know  I  am,"  answered  Bulrush  stiffly.  "  Well, 
don't  make  a  noise,  you  young  frogs  ;  I  want  to  think 
it  over." 

Bulrush  went  among  the  reeds  and  had  a  nap  there, 
and  when  he  woke,  he  prowled  about  the  well  till  he 
found  where  the  water  was  conveyed  from  it  to  the 
pond  along  a  dark  leaden  tube.  Bulrush  was  a  bold 
frog ;  he  floated  bravely  down  the  great  rush  of  water, 
and  never  stopped  till  he  came  to  an  iron  grating.     The 


THE  SILVER  I- IS II.  27 

bars  were  too  close  for  him  to  get  in  through,  but 
he  peeped  between  them,  and  saw  gold  and  silver 
fishes  swimming  about  in  the  pond.  He  stared  at 
them  with  his  big  eyes  till  one  of  the  young  gold 
fishes  saw  him,  and  tumbled  over  on  his  back  with 
fright. 

"  Idiot  1 "  croaked  Bulrush ;  but  he  swam  back  to 
the  well,  and  as  he  had  to  go  against  the  stream, 
he  was  very  much  out  of  breath  by  the  time  he  got 
there. 

"Well,"  said  all  the  frogs,  crowding  round  him; 
"what  have  you  found  out,  Bulrush.'" 

"  I  have  found  out  that  there  is  nothing  uglier  than 
a  gold  fish,"  answered  Bulrush,  "  unless  it  be  a  silver 
one," 

"Dear  me!"  said  the  frogs;  "are  they  so  hideous 
as  all  that.-*  But  what  about  our  business.'*  When 
will  you  begin,  Bulrush  .-*  " 

"  Begin  what  ?  "  he  asked  crossly. 

"  Begin  preventing  the  water  from  leaving  our  well, 
to  be  sure,"  said  Juniper. 

"Indeed!"  sneered  Bulrush;  "and  how  would  you 
do  that,  if  you  please?" 


28  THE  SIL  VER  FISH. 

"  Why,"  said  Jumper,  "  I  should  stop  the  hole,  of 
course." 

"  And  the  Queen  would  get  it  unstopped,  and  turn 
us  all  out  of  the  well,"  answered  Bulrush.  "  No, 
Jumper,  that  will  not  do.  And  now,  don't  make  a 
noise  ;  I  want  to  think  it  over." 

Upon  which  Bulrush  went  into  the  reeds,  and  took 
a  very  long  nap  there.  Some  busybody  went  and 
told  the  Queen  how  angry  and  jealous  the  frogs  were ; 
but  the  Queen  only  laughed,  and  said  : 

"  Let  them  be  angry ;  I  shall  do  as  I  please." 

Every  day  she  had  a  large  cake  baked  for  the  gold 
and  silver  fishes,  and  every  morning  she  went  and  fed 
them  with  her  own  hand.  When  they  saw  the  Queen 
standing  on  the  edge  of  the  pond  with  the  cake  in  a 
basket,  all  the  gold  and  silver  fishes  swam  towards 
her,  seven  rows  deep  ;  and  one  little  Silver  Fish,  the 
smallest  of  them,  swam  at  their  head  and  kept  them 
in  order.  He  hindered  the  big  ones  from  pushing 
the  little  ones  about ;  and  when  the  little  ones  got 
rude  or  too  frolicsome,  he  would  just  go  and  give 
them  such  a  whisk  of  his  tail  that  they  were  glad  to 
dive    down    and    hide    their   heads   for   shame.       The 


rilE  SILVER  FISIf.  29 

Oucen  was  so  pleased  with  this,  that  she  said  to  iiini 
one  day : 

"  Little  Silver  Fish,  I  am  going  to  make  you  King 
of  the  other  fishes." 

"  May  it  please  your  Majcst}-,"  said  the  little  Silver 
Fish,  very  uneasy,  "  I  would  rather  remain  as  I  am  ; 
besides,  the  other  fishes  will  never  acknowledge  me  as 
their  King." 

"But  they  must,"  said  the  Queen;  "and  to  show 
them  that  you  are  their  King  and  Sovereign,  I  shall 
give  you  one  of  my  own  emeralds,  and  you  shall 
wear  it." 

"  Oh  !  may  it  please  your  Majesty,"  said  the  little 
Silver  Fish,  more  uneasy  than  ever,  "if  the  other  fishes 
see  me  with  an  emerald  and  they  get  none,  they 
will  hate  me,  and  perhaps  take  it  from  me." 

But  the  Queen  would  have  her  way.  She  bade  her 
jeweller  measure  the  neck  of  the  Silver  Fish,  and  make 
him  a  little  collar  of  gold  thread  with  one  of  her 
emeralds  set  in  it ;  and  when  the  collar  was  made, 
she  put  it  herself  round  the  neck  of  the  Silver  Fish, 
and  told  all  the  other  gold  and  silver  fishes  that 
they  were  to    obey  him,    for  now  he  was  their  King. 


30  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

Whatever  they  thought  about  this,  the  gold  and  silver 
fishes  were  too  much  afraid  of  the  Queen,  and  too 
fond  of  cake,  to  say  a  word  against  anything  she 
might  do.  They  cried  :  "  Long  live  Silver  Fish  !  "  and 
bobbed  before  him  ;  and  matters  went  on  just  as 
they  had  gone  on  before.  The  only  difference  was, 
that  the  little  Silver  Fish  wore  his  gold  collar  with 
the  emerald  at  the  back,  for  all  the  other  fishes  to 
know  him  by  ;  and  it  certainly  was  the  prettiest  thing 
in  the  world  to  see  him  swimming  about  with  that 
thread  of  gold  round  his  little  neck,  and  the  beautiful 
emerald  shining  in  the  water. 

The  Silver  Fish  had  been  king  a  year  wanting  a 
day,  when  the  Queen  came  one  evening  to  the  edge 
of  the  pond  and  said  to  the  fishes  : 

'*  I  am  going  away  to-morrow  morning  early.  I 
want  to  see  my  daughter  who  is  married  to  the  King 
of  the  Diamond  Isles,  as  you  know ;  but  I  have  left 
orders  to  the  cook  to  make  and  bake  your  cake  every 
day,  and  to  my  prime  minister  to  come  and  feed  you 
every  morning  with  his  own  hand." 

"Long  live  your  Majesty!  "  cried  the  gold  and  silver 
fishes. 


THE  SILVER  FISH.  31 

"Will  you  be  good  whilst  I  am  awa)- ? "  said  the 
Oiieen. 

"  Oh  1  so  good  ! " 

"  And  not  push  forward  and  fight  for  the  largest  bits  ?" 

"  Oh  !  never !  " 

"And  above  all  things  will  you  obey  little  Silver 
Fish  ? " 

Obey  him  !  why  the  gold  and  silver  fishes  all  pro- 
tested that  they  would  die  for  him,  nay,  if  he  liked  it, 
they  would  carry  him  on  their  backs,  so  that  he  need 
swim  no  more. 

"No  need  for  that,"  said  the  Queen;  "but  mind 
you  obey  Silver  Fish.  He  is  your  King,  and  whilst 
he  wears  the  gold  collar  with  the  emerald  in  it,  the 
water  will  never  leave  your  pond  ;  but  if  any  of  you 
should  try  to  take  that  collar  off,  the  pond  will  run 
dry  in  no  time."     With  that  the  Queen  went  away. 

Well,  the  cook  made  and  baked  the  cake  every 
day,  and  the  prime  minister  went  and  fed  the  fishes 
every  morning  for  a  week  ;  but  on  the  morning  of  the 
seventh  day  after  the  Queen  was  gone,  the  prime 
minister,  instead  of  getting  up  early,  said  to  his 
wife: 


32  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

"I  really  do  not  see  why  the  Queen  has  set  me  to 
feed  fishes." 

"You  are  a  great  deal  too  clever  for  it,  my  dear," 
answered  his  wife, 

"  Well,  I  think  I  am,"  said  the  prime  minister ; 
"besides,  the  Queen  works  me  so  hard  when  she  is 
at  home,  that  I  feel  I  ought  to  have  a  holiday  now 
that  she  is  away.  I  want  to  lie  in  bed  a  little  in  the 
morning." 

"  Of  course  you  do,"  answered  his  wife;  "send  your 
page  Jeremy,  and  do  not  get  up  before  eleven." 

When  the  cook  saw  that  it  was  Jeremy  and  not 
his  master  who  fed  the  fishes,  she  thought : 

"  Why  should  these  fishes  have  cake }  bread  is  good 
enough  for  them  ;  besides,  I  daresay  that  big  boy  eats 
half  of  it,  and  I  am  really  tired  making  and  baking 
a  cake  every  day.  Bread  they  shall  have,  and  if  they 
will  not  eat  it — why  they  may  leave  it." 

Accordingly,  when  Jeremy  came  the  next  morning 
the  cook  gave  him  a  loaf  of  bread  and  no  cake.  The 
boy  took  the  loaf  to  the  pond  and  threw  it  in  big 
lumps  to  the  fishes,  who  were  there  as  usual,  seven 
rows  deep,  with  Silver  Fish  at  their  head. 


THE  SILVER  FISH.  33 

"I  am  afraid  there  is  something  wrong  with  our 
poor  Queen,"  said  Silver  Fish  ;  "this  is  bread  and  not 
cake — still  bread  is  good,  and  we  must  be  glad  to 
get  it." 

"Bread  and  not  cake,"  cried  all  the  fishes;  "we  will 
not  touch  it,  we  will  starve  first." 

Silver  Fish  tried  to  argue  with  them,  and  said  that 
may  be  the  Queen  could  afi'ord  cake  no  longer,  and 
that  bread  was  very  good,  and  so  on.  Tl.ey  would  not 
even  listen  to  him,  but  all  declared  in  a  breath  that 
they  would  die  rather  than  eat  bread.  Jeremy  went 
back  to  his  master  and  said  : 

"  Please,  sir,  the  fishes  will  not  eat.  They  made  a 
great  hubbub  over  what  I  threw  to  them  ;  and  the 
meaning  of  it  all  was,  that  they  would  not  eat  whilst 
the  Queen  was  away." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  prime  minister,  who  was  still 
half  asleep ;  "  go  and  tell  the  cook  that  the  fishes 
will  not  eat  whilst  the  Queen  is  away,  and  that  she 
need  bake  nothing  for  them  till  her  Majesty  comes 
back." 

Well,  when  the  hour  at  which    the   fishes  were  fed 

came  round  the    next   morning,  they  all  swam  to  the 

c 


34  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

edge  of  the  pond  seven  rows  deep,  and  waited  for 
their  cake,  but  no  cake  did  they  get. 

"  I  suppose  we  must  eat  bread,"  grumbled  the 
older  and  the  wiser  ones,  shaking-  their  heads  at  the 
thought.  But  though  they  waited,  telling  each  other 
of  the  good  old  times  when  fishes  had  cake  every 
morning,  and  there  was  no  talk  of  bread,  neither 
bread  nor  cake  did  there  come  to  them  that  morn- 
ing. When  they  were  tired  with  waiting,  the  fishes 
swam  away,  and  when  they  got  too  hungry  they 
swam  back ;  and  nibbled  at  the  bread  that  still 
floated  about  the  pond.  They  nibbled  so  well  that 
only  one  piece  Avas  left,  and  the  biggest  of  the  gold 
fishes  and  the  biggest  of  the  silver  fishes  had  a  set 
battle  over  that  last  piece,  whilst  the  other  fishes 
looked  on,  and  the  more  daring  ones  kept  darting  at 
it  in  the  hope  of  getting  a  i^w  crumbs.  Silver  Fish 
tried  to  keep  the  peace,  but  no  one  would  mind  him. 

"  Who  are  you,  sir,  to  dictate  to  us  } "  asked  a  big 
fellow,  giving  him   a   push. 

•'  Yes,  who  are  you  .^ "  said  another,  swimming  up 
to  his  very  nose,  and  bobbing  his  big  head  up  and 
down  at  him. 


THE  SILVER  FISH.  35 

Silver  Fish  modestly  replied  that  he  was  their 
Kin^,  upon  whieh  the  two  big  fishes  burst  out  laui^h- 
ing.  It  was  no  use  reminding  them  that  thc>'  had 
promised  the  Queen  to  obey  him.  One  fish  found  out 
that  it  would  have  been  all  right  if  Silver  Fish  had 
been  King  a  \-ear ;  but  as  there  wanted  a  tla)^  to 
the  year  when  the  Queen  went  away,  he  could  be  no 
King  at  all :  and  another  fish  said  quite  loud,  that 
the  best  of  all  reasons  for  not  minding  a  word  Silver 
Fish  could  say  was,  that  if  their  cake  had  been 
stopped,  it  was  because  he  was  in  a  league  with  the 
cook.  In  short,  every  fish  in  the  pond  quarrelled 
with  another  fish,  and  there  was  only  one  thing  the 
fishes  agreed  upon,  and  it  was  that  Silver  Fish  had 
done   all   the   mischief. 

"Hang    him!"    said    some. 

"Put   him    in    prison,"    said    others. 

"  Don't  touch  him,"  said  a  clever  fellow,  "  whilst 
he  wears  the  Queen's  emerald.  If  you  do  she  will 
hang  us  all  like  so  many  herrings." 

This  frightened  them  all.  The\'  knew  the  Queen 
was  very  strict,  and  no  fish  likes  to  be  hung.  No 
one    dared    to  touch  Silver    Fish    after  that ;  and,  in- 


36  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

deed,  as  it  was  getting  late  the  fishes  gave  up  quar- 
relling for  that  day,  and  went  to  bed  feeling  both 
sulky  and  hungry. 

Bulrush,  who  was  very  cunning,  made  no  attempt 
against  the  gold  and  silver  fishes,  whilst  the  Queen 
of  Emeralds  stayed  at  home  ;  but  he  set  all  the 
young  frogs  to  gather  him  fine  strong  grasses,  and 
when  he  had  enough  of  them  he  made  a  large  net. 
This  net  was  just  finished  when  the  Queen  went  away, 
and  Bulrush  at  once  set  to  mischief.  He  picked  up 
an  acquaintance  with  that  same  young  Gold  Fish 
whom  he  had  so  frightened  once,  but  who  was  not 
at  all  afraid  of  him  now.  They  met  at  midnight  at 
the  grating  when  all  the  other  fishes  were  asleep,  and 
they  plotted  together  against  Silver  Fish.  The  young 
Gold  Fish  told  Bulrush  how  their  cake  first,  then  their 
bread  had  been  stopped  ;  how  they  were  starving  every 
fish  of  them  ;  and  how  Silver  Fish  was  the  cause  of 
it  all. 

"And  what  business  has  he  to  be  our  King.?"  said  the 
young  Gold  Fish;  "he  is  only  silver  after  all,  and  the 
only  gold  about  him  is  in  that  collar  which  the  Queen 
gave  him." 


THE  SILVER  PIS  IF.  37 

"If  you  had  a  bit  of  spirit,  you  would  take  that 
coHar  off,"  said   Bidrush. 

"  \Vc  dare  not,"  rephed  the  young  Gold  Fish  ;  "it  is  a 
gold  collar,  and  it  has  one  of  the  Queen's  emeralds, 
and  if  we  were  to  take  it  off,  all  the  water  would 
run  out  of  our  pond." 

"  Well,"  said  Bulrush,  "  I  shall  tell  you  what  to  do, 
my  friend  ;  help  me  to  catch  Silver  Fish,  and  I  will 
take  him  away  to  a  well,  and  keep  him  there." 

"You  will  not  hurt  him!"  saia  the  young  Gold 
Fish. 

"No,   no,   never   fear,"   replied   Bulrush. 

"And  \-ou  will  not  take  his  collar  off,"  said  the 
young  Gold  Fish. 

"  Of  course  not,"  answered  Bulrush. 

"  And  what  shall  I  have  for  giving  him  up  to  you .' " 
asked  the  traitor. 

"You  shall  have  the  Queen's  emerald,"  said  Bulrush. 
"I  was  prenticed  to  a  jeweller,  and  can  take  it  out 
quite  easily." 

The  bargain  was  struck,  and  the  next  thing  was  to 
know  how  they  were  to  catch  Silver  Fish.  Well,  it 
was  agreed  that  Bulrush  should  come  with  his  net  to 


§8  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

the  edge  of  the  pond  that  very  night,  and  that  when 
he  had  thrown  it  into  the  water,  the  young  Gold  Fish 
should  beguile  Silver  Fish  into  it.  They  parted  very 
well  pleased  with  each  other,  for  the  }-oung  Gold  Fish 
had  a  silver  collar,  which  was  an  heirloom  in  his 
family,  and  he  thought  how  he  could  put  the  emerald 
into  it,  and  perhaps  be  King ;  and  Bulrush  laughed 
in  his  sleeve,  to  think  what  faces  the  fishes  would 
make  when  he  took  off  Silver  Fish's  collar,  and  all 
the  water  ran  out  of  the  pond. 

"Well,  our  time  is  come  at  last,"  said  Bulrush  to 
the  other  frogs  when  he  got  home ;  "  I  have  found 
it  all  out," 

"What  have  you  found  out.  Bulrush.'"  cried  the 
frogs. 

"Why,  that  there  is  a  Silver  Fish  in  the  pond, 
who  wears  a  collar  of  gold  with  the  Queen's  emerald 
in  it,  and  that  if  we  can  get  this  collar  off  his  neck, 
all  the  water  will  run  out  of  the  pond." 

"Will  it.^"  cried  the  frogs.  "What  a  good  thing; 
and  how  clever  you  are.  Bulrush." 

"I  know  I  am,"  said  Bulrush;  "and  now  listen  to 
me."      Then    Bulrush    told    the    frogs   about   his    net, 


THE  SILVER  FISH.  39 

and  liow  the  j'oung  Gold  Fish  was  to  drive  Silver 
Fish  into  it. 

"Siiver  Fish,"  said  Jumper;  "how  do  you  know 
he  is  the  right  one  ?  pcihaps  he  is  called  Silver  Fish 
because  he  is  gold,  and  not  silver.  I  say,  drag  the 
pond,  and  get  all  the  fishes  out." 

"Yes,"  cried  the  frogs;  "drag  the  pond,  and  get 
all  the  fishes  out.  The  upstarts  have  been  in  it  long 
enough." 

"Hold  your  tongue,"  said  Bulrush  very  sharply; 
**let  us  get  Silver  Fish  out  first,  then  we  will  drag 
the  pond  after  that  if  you  like." 

All  the  frogs  now  harnessed  themselves  to  the 
net,  and  dragged  it  from  the  well  across  the  garden 
to  the  pond,  in  front  of  the  palace.  Bulrush  then 
gave  the  signal  he  had  agreed  upon  with  the  traitor, 
three  croaks,  each  a  little  louder  than  the  last,  and 
immediately  the  young  Gold  Fish,  who  was  on  the 
watch,  put  his  head  out  of  the  water.  It  was  a  clear 
moonlight  night,  and  he  saw  Bulrush  and  the  other 
frogs  all  standing  in  a  row  on  the  o.'X'gQ.  of  the  pond. 

"Dear  me,  Bulrush,"  he  whispered,  "how  many  of 
you  there  are." 


40  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

"The  net  is  heavy,"  answered  Bulrush;  "so  my 
friends  have  helped  me  to  carry  it." 

"  Dear  me ! "  said  the  young  Gold  Fish,  who  began 
to  feel  uneasy ;  "  what  a  large  net  to  catch  only  one 
fish  !  " 

"  Come,  no  nonsense,"  said  Bulrush  ;  "  where  is  Silver 
Fish  ? " 

"  I  think  I  would  rather  not  tell  you,"  answered  the 
young  Gold  Fish,  diving  down. 

He  thought  to  hide  in  a  hole,  and  be  sat;:  there  ; 
but  it  was  too  late, 

"Cast  the  net,"  cried  Bulrush,  in  a  rage,  '-that 
fish  is  a  traitor  !  " 

Jumper,  who  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  pond, 
set  his  frogs  to  work,  and  Bulrush  set  his  ;  and  the 
net  was  thrown,  and  the  pond  was  dragged,  and  the 
fishes,  who  woke  up  in  a  fright,  tried  to  hide  and 
could  not ;  and  they  were  all  taken  out  and  caught 
by  the  frogs,  and  thrown  in  a  heap  on  the  sand  and 
gravel. 

"Now,"  said  Jumper,  with  a  croaking  laugh,  "let 
us  go  home  and  leave  these  fine  fellows  there." 

"No,"  said  Bulrush,  "that  will  never  do;  the  Queen 


THE  SILVER  PIS  If.  41 

voukl  know  what  wc  liavc  been  about,  and  punish 
us,  for  \-ou  know  she  is  very  strict.  W'e  must  throw 
all  these  fishes  back  ajain  into  the  water,  exceptiiv^ 
Silver  Fish.  He  is  a  little  fish  with  a  gold  collar 
and  an  emerald  in  it :  you  will  know  him  quite 
easily.  Bring  him  to  me  when  you  find  him.  I 
wish  to  take  his  collar  ofi"  with  m\'  own  hands,  and 
to  see  the  water  run  out  of  the  pond.  I  think,  too, 
we  shall  leave  Silver  Fish  out.  He  will  die,  of  course  ; 
but  then  the  Queen  will  think  the  other  fishes  have 
done  it,  and,  at  all  events,  she  cannot  give  him 
another  collar  if  he  is  dead,  you  know." 

The  frogs  would  rather  have  left  all  the  fishes  out 
of  the  water,  and  killed  every  one  of  them  ;  but  they 
were  afraid  of  the  Queen.  They  did  as  Bulrush  told 
them,  and  began  tumbling  the  fishes  about  and  look- 
ing for  little  Silver  Fish.  Now,  just  fancy  what  Silver 
Fish  felt  when  he  heard  Bulrush.  He  was  lying 
under  a  heap  of  other  fishes  all  panting,  all  full  of 
gravel,  all  feeling  just  ready  to  die,  and  all  thinking 
that  the  end  of  the  world  had  surely  come,  when 
gold  and  silver  fishes  could  be  so  treated.  Some 
shed  tears,  some  begged  for    merc\',  some  abused  the 


42  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

frogs,  and  some  called  on  Silver  Fish  to  help  them. 
But  Silver  Fish  said  never  a  word.  He  covered  him- 
self with  earth  as  well  as  he  could,  so  that  he  was 
all  black  with  mud,  and  that  you  could  see  nothing 
of  his  gold  collar ;  he  got  on  his  back  to  hide  his 
emerald,  then  he  shut  his  eyes  and  stiffened  him- 
self out  as  if  he  were  dead,  and  lay  quite  still.  All 
this  time  the  frogs  were  pulling  the  poor  fishes 
about,  looking  for  Silver  Fish  with  his  gold  collar 
and  his  emerald,  and  sneering  at  every  fish  they 
handled. 

"  Go  and  clean  yourself,  my  fine  fellow,"  they  said 
to  one,  as  they  threw  him  back-  into  the  water. 

"  Where  is  your  gold  .'' "  they  said  to  another,  who 
was  all  gritty  with  sand. 

"Stop,"  said  Jumper,  as  he  saw  the  young  Gold 
Fish,  who  had  put  his  silver  collar  on  just  ready  for 
the  emerald,  as  he  thought — "stop,  I  say;  do  not 
throw  Jivn  back,  if  you  please.  A  gold  fish  with  a 
silver  collar  !     Here  is  our  man," 

"  No,  Jumper,"  said  Bulrush ;  "  we  want  a  silver 
fish  with  a  gold  collar." 

"Nonsense!"  said  Jumper;  "they  called  him  silver, 


7  HE  SILVER  El  SIT.  43 

because  he  was  gold  ;  and  they  said  his  collar  was 
gold,  because  it  was  silver." 

"Jumper,  I  am  amazed  at  you,"  said  Bulrush.  "Do 
you  not  sec  that  this  fish  has  got  no  emerald  V 

"Well,  I  suppose  it  fell  out,"  answered  Juniper,  who 
always  would  have  the  last  word. 

Now  whilst  Bulrush  and  Jumper  were  arguing,  the 
other  frogs  had  thrown  back  all  the  gold  and  silver 
fishes  into  the  water  save  little  Silver  Fish.  He  was 
so  dirty,  poor  fellow,  that  there  was  no  knowing  now 
whether  he  was  gold  or  silver ;  not  a  sign  of  his 
collar  could  the  frogs  see  for  the  mud  ;  and,  as  he 
lay  on  his  back,  his  emerald  was  hiJden.  The  frogs 
could  have  seen  it  if  tiiey  had  turned  him  over  ;  but, 
somehow  or  other,  they  never  thought  about  that. 

"  He  has  no  gold  collar,"  said  a  frog. 

"  He  has  no  emerald,"  said  another. 

"  He  is  dead,"  said  a  third,  "  let  us  throw  him  in  to 
his  friends.  Since  they  are  so  hungry  they  had  better 
eat  him." 

All  the  frogs  laughed  and  nudged  each  other,  and 
one  winked  and  said,  "Don't  hurt  his  feelings!" 

With   that   they  tossed    Silver    Fish    into  the  water, 


44  THE  SILVER  FISH. 

and  stood  to  see  him  float,  since  that  is  the  way  of  all 
dead  fishes.  But  Silver  Fish  was  not  dead,  and  he 
did  not  float.  No  sooner  was  he  in  the  water  than 
he  became  quite  lively,  and  swam  about  to  clean  him- 
self. Presently  his  little  silver  coat  shone  as  bright 
as  bright  could  be,  and  lo !  there  was  the  collar  of 
gold  round  his  neck,  and  the  beautiful  emerald  in  it, 
so  bright  and  sparkling,  for  it  was  such  a  lovely 
moonlight  night  that  all  the  frogs  could  see  it  quite 
plainly.  Well,  when  the  frogs  saw  that  the  dead  fish 
was  a  live  fish,  and  that  he  was  Silver  Fish  with  the 
collar  of  gold,  and  the  emerald  in  it,  they  were  in 
such  a  rage  as  frogs  never  were  in  before,  but  the 
angriest  frog  of  all  was  Bulrush. 

"  Now,  you  idiot ! "  he  cried,  shaking  his  fist  at 
Jumper,  and  giving  the  young  Gold  Fish  a  kick,  "is 
that  Silver  Fish !  Come,"  he  added,  turning  to  the 
other  frogs,  "let  us  throw  in  the  net  again,  and  catch 
him  ! " 

"Yes,  yes,"  cried  the  frogs,  "let  us  catch  him,  the 
traitor,  who  was  alive  and  pretended  to  be  dead  1  " 

"More  easily  said  than  done!"  laughed  Silver  Fish, 
diving  down.      And,   indeed    it   could   not  be  done  at 


THE  SILVER  FISH.  43 

all,  for  when  the  frogs  thought  to  throw  tlicir  net 
again,  they  found  that  the  weight  of  the  fishes  had 
made  a  great  big  hole  in  it,  and  that  it  was  worth- 
less. 

"Bulrush,  what  shall  we  do  with  this  fish?"  said 
Jumper,  pointing  to  the  young  Gold   Fish. 

"Let  him  lie  there  and  die!"  croaked  Bulrush,  in 
his  deepest  voice. 

"Bulrush,  what  shall  we  do  with  ourselves?"  asked 
Jumper,  scratching  his  head. 

"Go  home,"  snarled  Bulrush  ;  and  home  all  the  frogs 
went,  leaving  the  young  Gold  Fish  on  the  edge  of  the 
pond,  with  his  silver  collar  round  his  neck. 

And  now  the  gold  and  silver  fishes  had  got  a  lesson, 
and  they  begged  little  Silver  Fish  to  forgive  them ;  he 
did  so  willingl}-;  but  that  gave  them  back  neither  bread 
nor  cake,  and  they  might  have  starved  if  the  Queen 
had  not  luckily  come  home  in  time  to  set  matters 
right.  When  she  went  to  the  pond,  she  found  the 
j'oung  Gold  Fish  lying  there  in  a  d\-ing  state.  Though 
much  exhausted,  he  could  still  speak,  and  had  breath 
enough  left  to  tell  the  Queen  of  his  treason,  and  of  the 
misdeeds  of  Bulrush  and  the  frogs.     The  Queen  turned 


46 


THE  SILVER  FISH. 


out  her  prime  minister  at  once  for  having  been  too  fond 
of  h'ing  in  bed,  gave  the  cook  warning  for  not  having 
obeyed  her  orders,  and  had  the  well  stopped  up,  so 
that  the  frogs  could  never  get  out  again,  and  make 
mischief  Bulrush  died  with  spite,  but  Silver  Fish  was 
^ing  all  the  days  of  his  life. 


"The  Queen  lurned  out  her  Prime  MiiiUicr  at  unce,  and  gave  ihe  cook  waniing  ' 
—Pa^'  46. 


'old F.N  HEN  lived  in  Fairyland 
with  the  Silver  Peacock  and  the  famous  Blue  Bird, 
whom  every  one  has  heard  of.  These  two  had  been 
in  the  world,  but  the  Golden  Hen  had  never  left  home. 
She  got  tired  of  living  in  Fairyland  all  the  days  of 
her  life,  and  one  day  she  said  to  her  friends  : 

"  I  too  must  go  out  into  the  world.  I  find  it  dull 
to  waken  in  Fairyland,  to  eat  in  Fair^-land,  and  to 
sleep  in  Fairyland.     I  must  have  a  change." 


4S  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

-  "  Take  care,"  said  the  Silver  Peacock  ;  "  I  went  Into 
the  world  and  I  repented  it." 

"  And  you  know,"  put  in  the  Blue  Bird,  "  that  if  you 
<^o  go,  you  cannot  come  back  for  a  year  and  a  day." 

But  the  Golden  Hen  would  not  be  advised.  She  flew 
awa}'  out  of  Fairyland,  and  fleW  and  flew  until  she  came 
to  the  world  at  last.  It  was  a  long  journey,  and  the 
Golden  Hen  felt  very  tired  when  she  alighted  upon  a 
corn-stack.  She  was  very  hungry  too  and  began  to  peck 
at  the  corn.  Some  hens  from  a  neighbouring  farm 
had  been  let  o\it  into  the  field,  and  the  Golden  Hen, 
who  liked  company,  thought  she  would  join  them. 
After  a  while  she  flew  down  and  pecked  with  the 
other  hens,  and  as  no  one  seemed  to  mind  her,  she 
went  home  with  them  in  the  evening.  When  the  far- 
mer's wife  came  out  with  her  apron  full  of  corn  to  feed 
the  fowls,  she  saw  this  beautiful  hen,  and  wondered 
where  she  came  from  ;  but  she  did  not  drive  her  away, 
for  she  thought,  "  She  has  got  astray,  but  I  shall  keep 
her.  She  is  a  wonderful  creature  and  shines  like  real 
gold."  So  the  Golden  Hen  roosted  with  the  other 
hens  that  night,  and  went  out  with  them  the  next 
morninfT. 


THE  GOLDEN  I/EN.  49 

Fairy  birds  never  lose  their  feathers  in  Fairyland, 
but  when  they  leave  it  and  choose  to  travel,  they  fare 
just  like  other  birds.  As  the  farmer's  wife  was  look- 
ing for  new-laid  eggs  the  next  morning,  she  saw  three 
yellow  feathers,  that  shone  and  glittered  like  gold,  lying 
in  the  straw.  She  picked  them  up  and  found  that 
they  were  gold  indeed,  and  so  fine  and  so  pure  that 
she  had  never  seen  any  to  compare  with  it.  Now  this 
woman  was  a  great  miser.  She  threw  down  her  eggs 
for  fear  the  Golden  Hen  should  escape;  she  ran  after 
her,  caught  her,  and  began  plucking  her  as, fast  as 
she  could  and  as  much  as  she  dared  without  killing 
her  outright.  The  Golden  Hen  screamed  and  strug- 
gled, but  it  did  not  help  her  a  bit  ;  the  farmer's  wife 
would  not  let  her  go  till  she  was  all  torn  and  bleed- 
ing. 

"  Ah  !  "  thought  the  Golden  Hen,  "  I  wish  I  had 
minded  the  advice  of  the  Silver  Peacock,  for  what  is 
to  become  of  me,  if,  as  the  Blue  Bird  says,  I  must 
remain  a  year  and  a  day  in  a  world  where  I  have 
already  been  used  so  ill." 

After  a  while,   however,  the  Golden   Hen  began   to 

think  that  every  one  might  not  be  so  cruel  to  her  as 

D 


so  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

the  farmer's  wife  had  been,  and  that  she  might  fare 
better  if  she  went  farther.  So  whilst  the  other  hens 
were  pecking  in  the  stubble,  she  slipped  away  into  a 
little  wood  hard  by  and  hid  there  ;  and  at  night,  instead 
of  going  back  to  the  farm,  she  went  up  to  roost  alone  in 
a  tree,  where  she  remained  nearly  the  whole  of  the 
next  day.  The  farmer's  wife  came  to  seek  for  her  in 
the  morning,  threw  corn  about  and  called  her  ever  so 
coaxingly,  but  the  Golden  Hen  was  not  to  be  caught 
again.  She  stayed  safely  hidden  till  her  enemy  had 
long  been  gone.  Then  she  came  down  and  pecked  a 
little  corn  and  flew  up  again  on  the  least  noise. 

The  farmer's  wife  came  again  to  the  wood  the  next 
day,  and  the  Golden  Hen  up  in  her  tree  thought :  "  Ah ! 
well,  I  shall  be  caught  this  time."  But  she  need  not 
have  been  so  frightened.  The  woman  only  picked  up' 
the  corn  which  she  had  scattered,  and  neither  called 
the  Golden  Hen  nor  tried  to  find  her,  for  on  looking 
that  morning  at  the  feathers  which  she  had  plucked 
from  her,  she  had  found  that  three  only,  and  they 
were  not  large  ones,  were  gold,  whilst  the  others  were 
common  yellow  quills.  When  the  Golden  Hen  sheds 
her   feathers   they   are    real   gold,   but   when    any  one 


THE  GOLDEN-  HEN.  51 

robs  her  of  them,  they  are  just  yellow  feathers  and  no 
more. 

The  corn  being  gone,  the  Golden  Hen  was  nearly 
starved  that  day ;  she  also  felt  rather  dull,  for  she  hatl 
always  been  used  to  company.  "  I  cannot  bear  this 
life  any  longer,"  she  thought,  "  I  must  eat  and  I  must 
have  society."  She  left  the  wood  at  once  and  went 
pecking  on  the  way,  until  in  the  evening  she  came  to 
a  large  farm,  twice  as  large  as  the  first.  There  were 
more  hens  than  you  could  count  in  the  yard  of  that 
farm,  and  the  Golden  Hen,  peeping  in  at  them  through 
the  bars  of  the  wooden  gate,  thought  to  herself;  "  There 
are  so  many  hens  here,  that  if  I  can  once  get  in 
amongst  them  no  one  will  ever  find  me  out."  She 
waited  till  the  henwife's  back  was  turned,  then  slipped 
in  unseen.  The  other  hens,  seeing  how  ill  she  was, 
were  kind  to  her.  They  let  her  in  amongst  them, 
allowed  her  to  feed  and  roost  with  them  that  night, 
and  to  go  out  with  them  the  next  morning. 

For  six  days  the  Golden  Hen  remained  on  the  farm, 
and  no  one  save  the  other  hens  was  the  wiser  for  it ; 
but  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh  day,  as  the  farmer 
watched  the  henwife  counting  the  eggs,  he  overheard 


SZ  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

a  little  white  hen  saying:  "And  so  you  really  are  the 
Golden  Hen,  and  your  feathers  are  real  gold.  Well,  to 
be  sure,  how  wonderful  I  " 

"  Hush  !  "  said  a  black  hen,  "  the  master  is  there, 
and  you  know  he  understands  all  we  say." 

Unfortunately  for  the  Golden  Hen,  this  was  too  true. 
The  farmer  had  both  heard  and  understood  what  the 
little  white  hen  said,  and  on  learning  that  the  Golden 
Hen  was  actually  on  his  farm,  he  had  all  the  gates 
and  doors  shut,  and  the  hens  driven  into  a  corner  of 
the  yard.  He  soon  spied  out  the  Golden  Hen,  though 
she  tried  hard  to  hide  behind  the  others,  and  having 
caught  her,  he  carried  her  to  a  room  upstairs,  where  he 
began  plucking  her. 

"  Some  one  has  been  at  you  before  me,"  said  he,  as 
he  pulled  out  her  quills  ;  "  but  if  you  escaped  once,  my 
pretty  hen,  I  shall  take  care  that  you  do  not  escape 
again." 

When  he  had  plucked  the  poor  hen  almost  bare,  he 
locked  her  up  in  the  room  and  put  the  key  of  the 
door  in  his  -pocket. 

This  farmer  had  a  servant  lad  called  Robin,  who 
was    both    inquisitive    and    cunning.       He    had    seen 


THE  GOLDEN  HEN.  53 

his  master  catch  the  Golden  Hen,  take  her  upstairs, 
-and  come  down  again  without  her.  It  so  happened 
that  Robin  had  a  rusty  old  key  that  opened  the  door 
of  the  room  in  which  the  hen  was  locked  up.  As  soon 
as  his  master's  back  was  turned  he  crept  upstairs, 
opened  the  door,  and  peeped  in.  In  a  moment  the 
Golden  Hen  slipped  out  between  his  legs,  and  flew 
away  through  an  open  window.  Robin  could  have 
caught  her  again,  but  if  he  had  tried  to  do  so,  his 
master  would  have  found  out  all  about  the  key.  He 
therefore  locked  the  door,  crept  downstairs  very  softly, 
and  let  the  Golden  Hen  get  off.  She  made  her  way 
out  of  the  farm  through  a  hole  in  the  hedge,  and 
was  far  away  when  the  farmer  came  in  to  feed  her. 
He  was  as  mad  as  mad  could  be  on  finding  that 
she  had  escaped ;  but  it  was  some  comfort  to  him 
to  remember  all  the  golden  feathers  he  had  taken 
from  her.  He  went  to  look  at  them  at  once,  and 
instead  of  a  heap  of  treasure  he  found  ever  so  many 
yellow  quills  that  were  worth  nothing  at  all. 

The  Golden  Hen  had  enough  of  the  world  by  this, 
and  would  have  given  anything  to  go  back  again  to 
Fairyland  ;    but  as   she   could  not  do  so  till  the  year 


54  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

and  the  day  were  out,  all  she  thought  of  was  to 
get  away  from  farms  and  farmers  and  farmers'  wives. 
She  crept  for  a  while  along  the  hedge  through  which 
she  had  escaped,  then  seeing  that  no  one  was  by,  she 
got  into  a  green  field  where  a  cow  was  grazing,  and 
from  that  again  to  other  fields,  till  she  came  to  one 
where  two  little  boys  were  gleaning.  The  Golden 
Hen  kept  in  the  furrows  so  that  they  should  not  see 
her,  and  stayed  hiding  there  till  it  was  evening  time 
and  the  children  were  gone. 

These  two  boys  were  the  orphan  grandchildren 
of  a  poor  old  widow  who  lived  hard  by,  and  early 
the  next  morning  they  came  to  glean  again.  At  noon 
they  sat  down  under  a  hedge,  and  began  to  eat 
some  dry  bread.  Each  had  a  piece,  a  very  little  one, 
for  their  grandmother  was  poor,  and  could  give  them 
no  more.  The  Golden  Hen,  who  was  hiding  close 
by,  peeped  at  them  through  the  hedge,  and  listened 
to  every  word  they  were  saying.  They  were  talking 
about  the  little  sheaf  of  corn  they  had  gleaned,  and 
rejoicing  over  it.  They  knew  how  glad  their  grand- 
mother would  be  to  get  it,  and  they  also  hoped  that 
she  would  make  them  a  cake  with  the  flour. 


THE  GOLDEN  HEN.  55 

"They  are  very  poor,"  thought  the  Golden  Hen. 
"I  fear  they  will  not  give  me  any  of  their  corn  ;  and 
they  have  so  gleaned  that  there  is  none  left  ;  but  then 
they  are  also  very  little.  I  scarcely  think  they  will 
hurt  nie,  and  if  they  attempt  it  I  can  hide  from 
them."  She  came  out  of  the  hedge,  and  showed  her- 
self to  the  two  children,  but  prudently  kept  at  a  little 
distance. 

"  Oh !  what  a  pretty  hen  !  "  cried  the  younger  boy. 

"  The  poor  hen,"  said  the  elder  one,  "  see  how  torn 
and  bare  she  is." 

He  threw  her  a  piece  of  bread,  but  it  was  too  near, 
and  the  Golden  Hen,  who  was  getting  mistrustful,  did 
not  dare  to  come  and  take  it.  He  then  threw  her 
another  piece  farther  away,  and  this  she  ate  greedily, 
for  she  was  starving.  Then  the  younger  boy  took  an 
ear  of  corn,  and  shelling  it  in  his  hand,  he  scattered  the 
grains,  and  the  Golden  Hen,  getting  bolder  as  she  saw 
how  kind  the  children  were,  drew  near  and  pecked  it 
before  them.  So  they  fed  her  till  they  had  eaten  all 
their  bread,  and  then  they  went  away  to  glean  in  other 
fields.  The  Golden  Hen  followed  them  at  a  distance, 
and  picked  up  a  little  corn  on  her  way.     When  even- 


56  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

iiig  came  the  boys  went  home,  and  the  Golden  Hen 
hid  in  a  hedge,  and  stayed  there  all  night. 

The  two  boys  came  to  glean  again  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  as  soon  as  she  saw  them,  the  Golden  Hen 
joined  them.  They  gave  her  some  of  their  bread 
again  at  noon,  and  this  time  she  eat  it  quite  tamely, 
pecking  it  out  of  their  hands,  and  when  they  went 
home  that  evening  the  Golden  Hen  followed  them. 
When  the  grandmother  of  the  two  boys  saw  the  state 
the  poor  little  hen  was  in,  she  was  very  sorry  for  her. 
She  gave  her  corn  to  eat,  and  water  to  drink,  then  she 
stroked  her  softly,  and  having  washed  the  clots  of 
blood  from  her  feathers,  she  gently  rubbed  her  with  a 
little  butter,  and  as  it  was  night  now,  and  she  knew 
that  the  hen  would  want  to  roost,  she  settled  a  perch 
for  her  in  a  corner  of  the  cottage. 

"Ah,  well,"  thought  the  Golden  Hen,  as  she  flew 
up  on  the  perch  and  roosted,  "  I  have  met  with  kind 
people  at  last." 

Poor  though  the  old  woman  was,  she  would  not  turn 
out  the  little  hen,  but  kept  her  for  charity's  sake.  *'  I 
shall  not  miss  the  creature's  corn,"  she  said ;  "  besides, 
how  can  I  let  her  wander  about  and  seek  for  a  home  "i 


THE  GOLDEN  HEN.  57 

She  is  SO  ill,  poor  thing,  that  no  one  would  have 
her." 

"  I  see  that  I  have  found  a  home,"  thought  the 
Golden  Hen,  who  heard  her.  "  I  shall  stay  here  till  the 
year  and  the  day  are  out,  and  then  I  can  go  back  to 
Fair\-land." 

The  Golden  Hen  took  a  long  time  to  get  well,  but 
at  length  her  pretty  feathers  all  came  back,  and  she 
shone  so  that  the  old  woman  and  her  two  grandchil- 
dren declared  there  had  never  been  a  bird  like  this. 
She  was  a  great  pet  with  them,  and  never  went  out 
for  fear  of  falling  into  evil  hands.  She  did  not  get 
much  to  eat,  for  they  were  very  poor ;  but  she  knew 
they  did  their  best,  and  never  grumbled.  She  had 
been  three  weeks  with  them  when  the  younger  boy 
found  one  of  her  feathers  in  the  little  yard  where  she 
used  to  peck  alone.  He  showed  it  to  his  brother,  who 
found  another  feather  the  next  day.  Their  grand- 
mother, not  knowing  that  these  feathers  were  gold, 
left  them  to  the  children  to  play  with. 

It  so  happened  that  as  the  two  brothers  were  play- 
ing with  their  feathers  one  afternoon,  a  pedlar  looked 
over  the  hedge  and  saw  them.     He  pushed   the  little 


58  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

wicket  door  open,  and  called  out  to  the  old  woman  to 
come  and  see  his  wares ;  but  he  was  looking  at  the 
golden  feathers  all  the  time. 

"  I  can  buy  nothing,"  said  the  old  woman,  coming 
out,  and  wiping  her  hands  in  her  apron,  for  she  had 
been  washing;  "I  want  nothing  just  now;  besides,  I 
have  no  money." 

The  pedlar  pressed  her  to  no  purpose,  then  after  a 
while  he  said  :  "  Let  me  have  these  little  yellow  things 
that  your  boys  are  playing  with,  and  I  will  give  them 
some  pretty  toys  instead." 

As  the  boys  asked  no  better,  their  grandmother  con- 
sented to  the  exchange.  To  one  the  pedlar  gave  a 
drum,  and  to  the  other  a  horse  and  car  for  the  two 
feathers. 

"Have  you  got  any  more  of  them?"  he  asked,  as 
he  put  them  by. 

The  widow  had  saved  up  the  feathers  dropped  by 
the  Golden  Hen.  She  did  not  know  their  value,  but 
she  thought  them  pretty.  She  replied  that  she  had 
seven  more,  and  as  the  pedlar  asked  to  see  them  she 
went  and  fetched  them  at  once.  He  was  so  anxious 
to  get  them,  that  he  offered  her  a  gown  for  herself  and 


THE  GOLDEN  HEN.  59 

a  cap  for  each  of  the  boys  in  exchange  for  the  seven 
feathers.  She  gladly  agreed  to  this,  and  was  as 
pleased  with  her  bargain  as  the  pedlar  was  with  his. 
From  that  day  forth  the  widow  and  her  grandchildren 
saved  up  the  feathers  of  the  Golden  Hen  very  care- 
fully, and  they  had  quite  a  heap  of  them  by  the  time 
the  pedlar  came  again.  This  time  they  all  got  an 
outfit  for  the  winter,  and  a  little  money  besides,  for 
the  roof  of  their  cottage  wanted  mending  sadly. 

Perhaps  the  Golden  Hen  did  it  on  purpose,  but  she 
certainly  dropped  so  many  feathers  about  this  time 
that  it  was  quite  amazing,  and  the  next  time  the 
pedlar  came,  the  widow  would  take  nothing  but  money 
in  exchange  for  her  little  treasure.  With  that  money 
she  bought  a  cow,  and  rented  some  land,  and  hired  a 
stout  .servant  boy  to  till  it.  And  still  the  Golden  Hen 
dropped  her  featliers,  and  the  pedlar  came  and  bought 
them,  and  paid  dearer  for  them  every  time  he  came, 
for  the  widow,  as  she  wanted  money  less,  raised  her 
terms,  and  sold  her  feathers  dearer  and  dearer.  Well, 
to  make  a  long  story  short,  by  the  time  summer  came 
round  again,  the  widow  was  a  prosperous  woman,  and 
had   begun  to  build   a  house,  and   she  had  two  cows 


6o  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

and  a  horse  now,  and  hens  and  geese,  and  turkey- 
cocks,  but  none  of  these  were  allowed  to  interfere  with 
the  Golden  Hen,  who  still  had  her  perch  in  the  corner 
of  the  cottage,  and  roosted  there  alone  every  night. 

The  year  and  a  day  had  been  out  a  week,  the 
Golden  Hen  was  now  free  to  fly  back  to  Fairyland, 
but  she  liked  her  friends  so  well,  that  she  could  not 
make  up  her  mind  to  leave  them.  "  I  shall  go  to- 
morrow," she  used  to  say  to  herself,  but  when  the 
morrow  came,  she  put  it  off  for  the  next  day  again, 
and  so  a  whole  week  went  by,  and  she  could  not  find 
it  in  her  heart  to  go.  "They  want  some  of  my 
feathers  still,"  thought  the  good  little  hen.  "I  shall 
leave  them  when  the  house  is  built." 

Now,  as  the  widow  and  her  two  grandsons  were 
eating  their  dinner  one  hot  summer's  noon,  the  pedlar 
suddenly  looked  in  at  them  through  the  open  window. 

"Good-day  to  you,  ma'am,"  says  he. 

"  Good-day,  master,"  answered  the  widow.  "  I  have 
got  more  feathers  for  you,  if  you  want  them." 

"  My  good  woman,  I  do  not  want  feathers.  I  want 
your  bird." 

"  My  bird  !  " 


THE  GOLDEN  HEN.  6 1 

"Yes,  your  hen.  I  want  her,  and  you  must  sell 
her  to  me." 

The  widow  and  the  two  boys  cried  out  in  a  breath 
that  the  hen  was  not  to  be  sold. 

"Well,  it  is  no  use  hiding  or  mincing  the  matter," 
said  the  pedlar;  "but  the  fact  is,  that  the  goldsmith 
to  whom  I  sold  the  feathers,  sold  them  to  the  Queen, 
who  made  a  necklace  of  them,  then  a  crown,  and  who 
now  wants  the  bird,  so  just  name  your  price." 

The  widow  declared  that  nothing  could  tempt  her 
to  sell  the  Golden  Hen,  but  the  pedlar  assured  her 
that  the  Queen  was  bent  on  having  her,  and  again 
bade  her  name  her  price. 

"If  the  Queen  will  take  my  hen  from  me,  I  cannot 
prevent  her,"  said  the  poor  widow,  crying,  "  but  no- 
thing shall  ever  make  me  sell  my  dear  little  hen." 

The  pedlar  went  away  much  displeased,  and  the 
widow  and  her  two  grandsons  could  eat  no  dinner, 
they  were  in  such  trouble.  They  could  think  and 
speak  of  nothing  but  the  Queen  and  their  hen,  and 
they  talked  the  matter  over  that  same  evening,  whilst 
the  hen  was  roosting. 

"Grandmother,"  said  the  elder  of  the  two  boys,  "let 


62  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

US  put  the  hen  in  a  basket  and  go  away  with  her,  so 
far,  so  far  that  the  Queen  cannot  overtake  us." 

"  No,"  said  his  brother,  "  let  us  stay  at  home,  and 
give  the  Queen  a  feather  a  day  if  she  will  only  leave 
us  our  little  hen." 

The  poor  grandmother  shook  her  head  at  all  this. 
She  knew  there  is  no  bribing  a  queen,  and  no  running 
away  from  her.  She  also  knew  that  queens  will  have 
their  own  way,  and  she  sadly  feared  that  the  Golden 
Hen  must  be  given  up  to  her  Majesty.  Well,  they 
heard  no  more  of  the  pedlar.  He  did  not  come  the 
next  day,  nor  the  next  again,  and  on  the  third  day 
the  widow  and  her  two  grandsons  were  beginning  to 
take  heart,  and  to  hope  for  the  best,  when  the 
younger  boy  cried :  "  Mother,  I  hear  a  great  beating 
of  drums ! " 

"  And,  mother,"  said  the  elder  one,  "  I  hear  a  great 
galloping  of  horses." 

"  Ah  1 "  said  the  grandmother,  "the  Queen  is  coming 
for  my  Golden  Hen." 

And  so  she  was.  The  Queen  herself  was  coming  to 
take  the  Golden  Hen  away.  Presently  the  drums  left 
off  beating,  and  the  tramp  of  the  horses  ceased,  and 


THE  GOLDE.\  HEN.  63 

a  gilt  carrlac^c,  drawn  by  eii^ht  milk-white  steeds, 
stopped  at  the  widow's  door,  whilst  the  Queen  herself 
alighted.  She  was  dressed  in  blue  satin,  and  had  a 
gold  necklace  round  her  neck,  and  a  gold  crown  on 
her  head,  and  both  were  made  out  of  the  feathers  of 
the  Golden  Hen, 

"  My  good  woman,"  said  the  Queen,  looking  very 
grand,  "  I  hear  that  you  have  got  the  Golden  Hen, 
and  I  have  come  for  her.     Where  is  she  .'* " 

"  May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  answered  the  widow, 
dropping  the  Queen  a  curtsey,  "  I  cannot  part  with  my 
hen.  The  children  will  break  their  hearts  if  they  lose 
her." 

"Now  do  not,  there  is  a  good  soul,  do  not  go  on 
with  such  nonsense,"  said  the  Queen,  "but  just  let  me 
see  that  hen  of  yours." 

Even  as  she  said  the  words,  the  Golden  Hen,  who 
was  in  the  yard  all  the  time,  flew  up  into  an  apple- 
tree,  and  began  flapping  her  wings,  so  that  a  shower 
of  golden  feathers  fell  down  on  the  grass  below. 

"Now,  that  is  beautiful,"  cried  the  Queen,  clapping 
her  hands,  she  was  so  pleased ;  "  I  shall  die  unless  I 
get  that  hen.     Page,  go  and  catch  her  directly." 


64  THE  GOLDEN  HEN. 

Page  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  began  climbing  up 
the  apple-tree,  where  the  Golden  Hen  was  flapping 
her  wings  and  shedding  her  feathers  all  the  time ;  but 
just  as  he  stretched  out  his  hand  to  seize  her,  the 
Golden  Hen  flew  away,  high  up  into  the  air,  where 
the  Queen  and  all  the  courtiers  saw  her  soaring  and 
shining  like  a  speck  of  gold  in  the  light  of  the  sun, 
until  she  vanished  entirely. 

The  Queen  was  so  vexed  at  not  getting  the  hen,  that 
she  stepped  back  into  her  carriage  and  rode  away  with- 
out saying  a  word  ;  and  when  the  drums  began  to  beat, 
she  made  a  sign  with  her  hand  that  they  should  not. 

When  the  widow  and  her  grandsons  were  alone 
they  picked  up  the  feathers  which  the  good  little  hen 
had  shed,  and  there  was  quite  a  heap  of  them.  The 
two  boys  were  ever  so  glad  that  their  hen  had  escaped 
from  the  Queen,  and  made  sure  that  she  would  come 
back  to  them  in  time  ;  but  their  grandmother  guessed, 
from  all  the  feathers  she  had  dropped  before  going, 
that  the  Golden  Hen  did  not  mean  to  return  ;  and 
she  never  did.  On  leaving  the  apple-tree  she  flew 
away  straight  to  Fairyland,  where  she  has  remained 
ever  since. 


Th.-  GL.ldcii  Hen  began  flapping  lic-r  wings  so  that  a  shower  of  guide 
(ioHii  on  l!ic  grass  below." — J'a^i  6j. 


THE  GOLDEN  HEX. 


65 


The  boys  wore  very  sorry  for  tlie  loss  of  the  Gokieii 
Hon,  but  they  were  comforted  in  time,  and,  thanks  to 
her  partin;^  y;ift — for  the  Oneen  bouL^ht  all  the  feathers, 
and  paid  handsomely  for  them— they  were  rich  far- 
mers when  they  grew  up. 


63  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

made  it  as  bright  as  the  sun  on  a  summer  morning.  No 
one  could  see  her  and  not  feel  glad,  and  when  she  went 
to  the  village  on  an  errand  for  her  father  and  mother,  who 
lived  a  little  way  off,  ever}'  one  welcomed  her  ;  and  it 
was:  "Good-morning  to  you,  Sunbeam."  "How  are  \'ou, 
Sunbeam  ? "  or,  "  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you.  Sunbeam." 
And  yet  Sunbeam  was  only  a  poor  man's  child. 

Her  parents  lived  in  a  little  cottage  in  a  wild  waste 
place,  almost  surrounded  by  rocks.  Sunbeam  was  fond 
of  climbing  up  there,  and  as  she  sat  amongst  the  wild 
flowers,  she  liked  to  watch  the  bees  looking  for  honey. 
She  was  not  afraid  of  them,  and  they  knew  her  quite 
well,  and  liked  to  see  her  there.  Sunbeam  was  sitting 
thus  one  day  with  the  bees  around  her,  when  a  Big  Bee 
said  to  her, — 

"Would  you  not  like  to  stay  with  us,  Sunbeam  }  It 
is  very  pleasant  up  here  with  the  wild  th}'me  and  the 
blue  bells,  and  all  that." 

"Yes,  it  must  be  nice,"  replied  Sunbeam  ;  "but  you 
see  I  must  go  home  to  father  and  mother." 

"  Well,  I  suppose  you  must,"  said  the  Bee,  after  con- 
sidering a  while.  "  I  don't  remember  my  father  myself, 
but  I  was  very  fond  of  my  mother,  as  nice  an  old  bee  as 


SUNB/-^.V  AXD  IIER  WHITE  RABBIT.  r>9 

ever  you  saw,  Sunbeam,  and  tlie  best  mother  in  the 
vorld.  But  as  I  said,  it  is  very  pleasant  up  here,  and 
we  have  a  very  good  hive  in  that  old  oak,  and  plenty  of 
lioney  in  it,  I  can  tell  }'ou." 

"Yes,  it  must  be  pleasant  in  the  old  oak-tree," 
answered  Sunbeam  ;  "but  then  how  could  I  get  in  ?" 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  too  large,"  answered  the  Bee, 
after  looking  at  Sunbeam.  "  Well,  never  mind,  my  dear, 
it  is  no  sin  to  be  big,  and  we  like  you  all  the  same." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Sunbeam  ;  "  but  what  noise  is 
that  which  I  hear  below  }  " 

"Oh!  that  is  the  Giant  hunting.  He  is  a  dreadful 
man — he  spoils  all  our  flowers  with  his  hounds  and 
horses.     I  cannot  endure  the  sight  of  him." 

So  saying,  the  Bee  flew  away  in  a  pet.  Sunbeam 
looked  down  in  the  plain  below  her,  and  watched  the 
Giant  riding  by  on  his  big  black  horse.  He  looked  so 
terrible,  and  he  was  so  tall,  that  Sunbeam  felt  quite 
afraid  of  him,  and  hid  low  among  the  rocks  lest  he 
.should  see  her.  But  he  did  not,  for  the  Giant,  the  hunts- 
men, and  the  hounds  were  all  pursuing  a  poor  grey 
rabbit  and  her  young  one,  who  was  white  as  milk.  The 
grey  rabbit  flew  across  the  plain  and  was  caught  and 


70  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

killed;  but  the  little  White  Rabbit  climbed  up  the  rocks 
and  jumped  right  into  Sunbeam's  lap.  She  took  him 
in  her  arms  and  ran  home  with  him,  and  the  Giant,  the 
huntsmen,  and  the  hounds  were  so  glad  to  have  caught 
the  grey  rabbit  that  they  never  missed  the  white  one. 

Sunbeam  was  very  fond  of  her  White  Rabbit.  She 
niade  him  a  bed  of  moss  and  fern,  and  worked  him  a 
pretty  red  collar  and  a  pair  of  red  garters,  which  she 
put  on  him  every  morning.  She  took  him  with  her 
whenever  she  went  to  sit  among  the  bees  in  the  rocks. 
Indeed,  the  bees  and  the  White  Rabbit  became  very 
good  friends.  They  did  not  mind  his  skipping  about, 
and  kindly  gave  him  up  the  wild  thyme  to  nibble  when 
they  had  sucked  and  done  with  it.  When  Sunbeam 
went  to  the  village,  the  White  Rabbit  followed  her, 
walking  very  nicely  on  his  hind  legs,  and  "Sunbeam 
and  her  White  Rabbit "  became  a  byword,  for  you 
never  saw  the  one  without  also  seeing  the  other.  So 
sure  as  Sunbeam  appeared  with  her  golden  hair,  so 
sure  the  White  Rabbit  was  behind  her. 

Now  it  so  happened  that  the  Giant,  who  was  getting 
old,  could  not  go  out  hunting  any  more,  and  lell  into 
very  low  spirits.     He  had  heard  of  Sunbeam  and  her 


SUXBEAM  AXD  HEK  WHITE  RABBIT.  71 

Wliitc  Rabbit,  and  he  thou^'ht  he  would  Hke  to  have 
her. 

"  I  find  that  this  castle  of  mine  is  getting  very  dark," 
lie  said  to  his  wife;  "go  and  fetch  me  Sunbeam.  I 
am  sure  she  will  make  it  quite  bright  again  with  her 
golden  hair.  I  shall  also  like  to  put  my  hands  throu^^h 
it,  and  see  if  it  is  gold.  Besides,  she  has  got  a  White 
Rabbit,  who  will  skip  about  the  room  and  make  me 
laugh,  for  I  have  heard  that  he  walks  on  his  hind  legs, 
and  he  can  dance,  I  daresay;  and  when  I  am  tired 
of  him  I  can  have  him  dished  up  for  my  supper. ' 

The  Giant's  wife  was  a  good  woman,  but  she  was 
mortally  afraid  of  her  husband,  and  would  not  have 
disobeyed  him  for  the  world.  She  went  at  once  to 
the  little  cottage  in  which  Sunbeam's  parents  lived, 
and  she  said  to  them  quite  politely,  for  she  was  a 
very  civil  lady — 

"  If  you  please,  where  is  Sunbeam  .'" 

"May  it  please  your  ladyship,  Sunbeam  is  out," 
answered  Sunbeam's  father. 

"Ah,  well,"  said  the  Giant's  wife,  "send  her  round 
to  me  as  soon  as  she  comes  home.  My  husband 
finds   that   his   castle  is   getting  very   dark,  and   he    is 


72  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

sure  Sunbeam  will  make  it  quite  bright  again  with 
her  golden  hair.  He  will  also  like  to  put  his  hands 
through  it,  and  see  if  it  is  gold.  Besides,  Sunbeam 
has  got  a  White  Rabbit,  who  will  skip  about  the  room 
and  make  him  laugh,  for  he  has  heard  that  he  walks 
on  his  hind  legs,  and  he  can  dance,  I  daresay," 

But  the  Giant's  wife  said  nothing  about  haying  the 
White  Rabbit  dished  up  for  the  Giant's  supper.  The 
parents  of  Sunbeam  were  in  sad  distress  at  having 
to  give  her  up  to  the  Giant  ;  but  they  did  not  dare 
to  say  no.  They  knew  besides  that  it  would  be  of 
no  use,  for  if  the  Giant  had  set  his  mind  on  having 
Sunbeam,  why  have  her  he  would.  They  promised 
to  send  her  up  to  the  castle  when  she  came  home, 
and  on  that  promise  the  Giant's  wife  left  them. 

When  Sunbeam  came  home  that  evening  her  mother 
had  not  the  heart  to  send  her  to  the  castle. 

"Let  us  keep  her  this  one  night  more,"  she  said 
to  her  husband  ;  and  he  answered,  "  Yes,  let  us  keep 
her  this  one  night  more." 

".Sunbeam,"  .said  her  mother  to  her,  "you  must 
get  up  early  to-morrow.  The  Giant  is  ill,  and  you 
will  have  to  take  some  new-laid  eggs  to  the  castle." 


SUXBEAM  AXD  HER  WHITE  RADDIT.  73 

"  Vcr\'  well,  mother,"  answered  Sunbeam.  She  did 
not  mind  going-  to  the  castle  if  the  Giant  was  ill,  for 
she  made  sure  that  she  should  not  see  him.  Sun- 
beam slept  in  a  little  cot,  and  the  White  Rabbit's 
bed  of  moss  and  fern  was  close  to  it.  They  both 
went  to  bed  as  usual,  and  Sunbeam  soon  fell  fast 
asleep,  but  the  White  Rabbit  did  not.  Towards  mid- 
night, when  everything  was  very  quiet  in  the  cottage, 
he  got  up  on  Sunbeam's  bed,  and  gently  scratched 
her  face  with  his  paw.  Sunbeam  woke  at  once,  and 
saw  him  in  the  moonlight,  which  was  shining  brightly 
through  the  window. 

"Well,"  said  Sunbeam,  "what  is  it?  Are  you 
thirsty.-*     Shall   I  give  you  a  drink.-*" 

"  I  am  not  thirsty,  thank  you,"  answered  the  WMiite 
Rabbit;  "but  don't  talk  so  loud,  Sunbeam,  for  I  have 
got  something  to  tell  you.  If  you  take  new-laid  eggs 
to  the  Giant's  castle  to-morrow,  the  Giant  will  keep 
you.  He  finds  his  castle  getting  very  dark,  and  he 
is  sure  you  will  make  it  quite  bright  again  with  your 
golden  hair.  He  will  also  like  to  put  his  hands 
through  it,  and  see  if  it  is  gold.  He  wants  me  to 
skip  about  the  room  and   make  him  laugh,  for  he  ha.s 


74  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

heard  that  I  can  walk  on  my  hind  le.c^s,  and  he  fancies 
I  can  dance  ;  and  when  he  is  tired  of  me  he  can  have 
me  dished  up  for  his  supper."  For  the  Wiiite  Rabbit 
could  not  merely  talk,  he  also  knew  everything. 

"  Oh,  what  shall  we  do  ! "  said  poor  Sunbeam,  who 
began  to  cry.  "  I  shall  die  witli  fright  if  the  Giant 
puts  his  hands  through  my  hair  to  see  if  it  is  gold, 
and  I  shall  break  my  heart  if  he  has  you  dished  up 
for  his  supper." 

"  Don't  cr}',  Sunbeam,"  said  the  White  Rabbit,  "but 
do  as  I  bid  }-ou.  Get  up  as  soon  as  it  is  dawn,  and 
open  the  door  as  softly  as  you  can.  We  will  go  to 
•the  rocks  and  hide  there,  and  take  my  word  for  it 
the  Giant  shall  not  find  us." 

Sunbeam  did  as  the  White  Rabbit  told  her.  She 
got  up  as  soon  as  it  was  dawn,  dressed  herself,  put 
the  White  Rabbit's  red  collar  and  garters  upon  him, 
then  opened  the  door  as  softly  as  she  could.  Neither 
Sunbeam's  father  nor  her  mother  heard  her,  and  Sun- 
beam and  the  White  Rabbit  went  up  to  the  rocks 
together,  and  hid  there  with  the  bees.  Sunbeam 
told  them  her  trouble,  and  asked  them  to  hide  her 
and  the  White  Rabbit,  but  the  Big  Bee  answered — 


SUNBEAM  A\D  HER  WHITE  RABBIT.  75 

"We  would  liido  }-ou  if  \vc  could,  Sunbeam,  for 
we  like  }'ou  ;  but  \ou  are  too  large  to  get  into  our 
liive  in  the  oak,  }0u  know." 

"That  is  very  true,"  said  poor  Sunbeam,  cr)  ing ;  "I 
wish  I  were  not  so  big." 

"  Don't  cry.  Sunbeam,"  said  the  White  Rabbit,  "  it 
will  all  end  well ;  take  my  word  for  it." 

Well,  when  the  father  and  mother  of  Sunbeam 
awoke,  and  found  that  Sunbeam  and  her  White  Rabbit 
were  gone,  they  were  in  sad  trouble,  for  they  thought 
how  angry  the  Giant  would  be.  And  he  was  in  a  fine 
wa\'  indeed,  and  sent  all  his  dogs  and  all  his  men  to 
fetch  Sunbeam.  "Mind  you  bring  me  back  Sunbeam," 
growled  the  Giant,  as  he  sent  them,  "and  her  White 
Rabbit  as  well.  I  want  to  hang  him  with  one  of  his 
own  red  garters." 

Neither  the  dogs  nor  the  men  could  find  Sunbeam 
and  her  White  Rabbit  at  the  cottage. 

"They  are  with  the  bees,"  said  one  man,  "let  us  go 
and  look  for  them  up  in  the  rooks." 

Now  when  Sunbeam  heard  the  dogs,  and  saw  the 
men  coming  for  her,  «he  wrung  her  hands,  and  cried 
bitterly. 


76  sUjYBEam  and  her  white  rabbit. 

"Oh!  what  shall  I  do  if  they  get  me,"  sobbed  poor 
Sunbeam,  "  I  would  rather  be  that  bee  than  go  to  that 
\vicked  Giant's  castle,  and  have  him  putting  his  hands 
through  my  hair  to  see  if  it  was  gold." 

"Would  you,"  said  the  White  Rabbit,  "and  what 
should  I  be  then  ?" 

"  Why,  you  could  be  that  pretty  little  ant  close 
by." 

Well,  the  dogs  now  smelt  the  White  Rabbit,  and 
began  to  bark,  and  the  men  saw  Sunbeam,  and  cried 
out  to  one  another :  "  There  she  is,"  "  We  have  got 
her."  But  when  they  came  up  to  the  spot  where 
Sunbeam  had  been,  the  child  was  gone,  and  all  they 
saw  was  a  little  golden  bee  humming  above  the  wild 
thyme. 

"I'll  kill  that  bee,"  said  one  of  the  men  in  a  rage; 
but  just  as  he  was  going  to  fling  his  cap  at  the  poor 
little  bee,  an  ant  stung  his  foot,  so  that  he  screamed 
with  pain.  Up  and  down  among  the  rocks  went  the 
dogs  and  the  men,  but  neither  Sunbeam  nor  her  White 
Rabbit  did  they  find,  and  the  Giant  had  to  do  without 
them. 

The  father  and  mother  of  Sunbeam  were  very  glad 


SUNBEAM  AXD  HER  WIinE  RABBIT.  77 

that  she  had  escaped,  but  the\'  wondered  what  had 
become  of  her.  They  were  afraid  she  was  hungry, 
and  they  went  and  looked  for  her  among  tlie  rocks 
with  some  bread  and  milk  in  a  basket,  which  Sun- 
beam's mother  carried,  but  no  Sunbeam  wiih  her  White 
Rabbit  did  they  see,  and  when  they  called  her  no 
answer  did  they  get.  Then  Sunbeam's  mother  began 
to  cry.  '•  I  am  afraid  our  little  Sunbeam  is  lost,"  said 
she. 

"  I  am  afraid  she  is,"  answered  her  husband  ;  "  yet 
let  us  hope,  wife.  The  White  Rabbit  is  very  clever; 
he  will  take  care  of  her." 

When  they  were  tired  looking  they  went  home  and 
went  to  bed,  for  it  was  night,  and  each  dreamed  of 
Sunbeam  that  night. 

"Wife,"  said  Sunbeam's  father,  when  he  woke  the 
next  morning,  "  I  dreamed  that  I  saw  our  Sunbeam 
among  the  rocks,  sucking  the  wild  flowers,  and  the 
White  Rabbit  was  with  her." 

"Yes,"  said  his  wife,  "and  she  was  saving,  'I  wish 
I  had  some  honeysuckle,'  and  the  White  Rabbit  an- 
swered :  '  Tell  your  father  to  get  you  some."* 

"Then  I  will,"  said  Sunbeam's  father. 


78  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

He  toolc  some  'iioneysuckle  from  his  little  garden, 
and  set  it  among  the  rocks,  and  the  next  night  both 
he  and  his  wife  dreamed  of  Sunbeam,  and  they  saw 
her  sucking  the  honeysuckle,  and  laughing,  and  look- 
ing as  bright  as  ever. 

Well,  days,  weeks,  and  months  passed,  and  nothing 
was  seen  or  heard  of  Sunbeam. 

Her  father  and  her  mother  dreamed  of  her  every 
night,  and  she  looked  so  happy  that  they  became 
comforted,  the  more  so  that  the  Giant  was  always 
sending  his  wife  to  know  if  Sunbeam  had  come  back, 
because  he  found  his  castle  getting  darker  and  darker, 
and  he  wanted  Sunbeam  more  than  ever. 

"  Better  have  our  Sunbeam  anywhere  than  with  the 
Giant,"  sa'd  Sunbeam's  father. 

"A}-,  better  indeed  !"  said  his  wife. 

They  both  died  when  Sunbeam,  had  been  gone 
seven  years.  The  Giant's  wife  died  too,  and  the  Giant, 
who  was  more  wicked  than  ever,  was  left  alone  with 
his  grandson  the  Prince.  He  was  called  the  Prince 
i;,^  because  his  mother  had  been  a  princess.  He  was  a 
very  handsome  young  man,  rather  tall,  but  not  a  giant, 
and    as    good    as   his    grandfather    was    wicked.       The 


SLWHEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT.  79 

Giant,  not  having]:  been  able  to  ^cl  Sunbeam  with  her 
golden  hair,  had  ^ot  together  all  the  gold  he  conld  lay 
his  hands  on  instead.  But  thoui,di  he  had  so  much 
gold  that  his  castle  was  almost  full,  he  found  it  getting 
darker  and  darker  every  day. 

"I  have  not  gold  enough,"  said  the  Giant;  "but  how 
am  I  to  get  more.-'  I  am  too  old  to  fight  now,  and 
the  Giantess,  who  has  twice  as  much  gold  as  I  have, 
would  not  marry  me.  Perhaps  she  would  marry 
Prince,  and  come  and  live  here,  and  bring  all  her  gold 
with  her." 

The  Giant  went  and  asked  the  Giantess,  who  was 
his  fifth  cousin,  if  she  would  marry  his  grandson,  and 
bring  her  gold  with  her.  The  Giantess  lived  in  a  castle 
hard  by,  and  received  her  cousin  very  kindly.  She 
agreed  to  marry  Prince,  though  she  found  him  rather 
short.  "But  then,"  said  she,  "we  can  put  him  upon 
stilts!" 

"And  }'ou  will  bring  all  your  gold,"  said  the  Giant. 

'*  To  be  sure  I  will,"  replied  the  Giantess,  "  and  tell 
Prince  to  get  a  pair  of  stilts  and  practice  walking 
with  them,  so  that  he  may  be  quite  steady  on  the 
wedding-day." 


So  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

The  Giant  went  home  and  asked  for  Prince,  but  the 
young  man  was  out. 

"  Where  is  he,"  growled  the  Giant. 

"  May  it  please  your  Giantship,"  answered  one  of 
his  men,  "  Prince  is  up  in  the  rocks.  Prince  goes  there 
every  da}-." 

"  Does  he,"  said  the  Giant,  with  a  big  frown,  "  well, 
tell  him  to  come  and  speak  to  me  as  soon  as  he 
comes  in." 

Prince  was  up  in  the  rocks,  as  the  man  had  told 
the  Giant.  He  liked  nothing  so  well  as  being  there, 
for  as  he  sat  resting  there  one  day,  he  had  amused 
himself  with  watching  a  little  yellow  Bee,  as  bright  as 
gold,  and  very  pretty,  that  went  about  humming 
among  the  flowers,  and  what  struck  Prince  much, 
was  that  wherever  the  Bee  went  a  little  brown  ant 
followed  and  went  too.  When  he  came  again  to 
the  rocks,  a  few  days  after  this,  Prince  saw  the  golden 
Bee  and  its  little  brown  ant  again,  and,  indeed,  day 
after  day  he  saw  these  two,  and  they  knew  him 
as  well  as  he  knew  them.  One  morning  the  Bee 
was  humming  around  his  head  when  Prince  said 
to  it: 


SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT.  8i 

"  Come  on  m\'  hand,    Bee." 

Immediately  the  little  golden  Bee  alighted  on  his 
finger,  whilst  the  ant  stood  still  under  a  blade  of 
grass,  and  waited.  Prince  was  very  much  pleased  to 
see  the  Bee  so  friendly. 

"I  wish  you  could  talk,  Bee,"  he  said,  "and  tell  me 
what  I  could  do  to  please  you." 

But  the  Bee  only  gave  a  little  hum,  and  after  a 
while  flew  away.  Immediately  the  ant  moved  on, 
and  soon  the  two  were  gone.  Now,  this  happened  the 
very  same  day  on  which  the  Giant  went  to  see  the 
Giantess. 

"Where  have  you  been,"  growled  the  Giant,  as  soon 
as  the  Prince  came  in. 

"  I  have  been  to  the  rocks,"  answered  Prince. 

"Well,  then,  you  will  not  go  there  to-morrow," 
growled  the  Giant  again.  "You  will  have  to  go  and 
court  the  Giantess,  whom  you  are  going  to  marr\',  and 
mind  you  get  a  nice  pair  of  stilts  in  order  not  to  be 
too  short  for  her." 

"  Marry  the  Giantess,"  cried  Prince,  in  a  rage  at  the 

thought ;  "  never." 

"  And     I    say   you    shall    marry   her,"   growled    the 

F 


tf2  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

Giant :  he  was  always  growling  since  he  had  lost  his 
teeth. 

"  Rut  why  should  I  marry  her  ?"  asked  Prince, 

"  Because  she  has  ever  so  much  gold,  and  that  I 
want  gold,"  answered  the  Giant.  "  Gold  is  yellow, 
and  I  like  it.'' 

"  And  I  saw  a  yellow  Bee  to-day  in  the  rocks,"  an- 
swered Prince;  "it  was  as  yellow  as  gold,  and  I  like  it." 

"  A  Bee,"  sneered  the  Giant ;  "  perhaps  you  want  to 
marry  that  Bee." 

"  I  would  rather  marry  her  any  day  than  the 
Giantess,"  answered  Prince,  quite  angry. 

"A  Bee  is  it.''"  cried  the  Giant,  in  a  passion;  "well, 
then,  you  shall  marry  that  Bee,  and  Sunbeam's  White 
Rabbit  shall  be  your  bridesman." 

What  put  Sunbeam's  White  Rabbit  into  his  head  just 
then  was  more  than  any  one  could  imagine.  Perhaps 
it  was  because  Prince  had  come  from  the  rocks  where 
Sunbeam  and  her  White  Rabbit  had  been  so  fond  cf 
going  formerly. 

"  Marry  the  pretty  little  Bee  I  saw  to-day,"  answered 
Prince,  laughing;  "well,  I  ask  no  better,  and  I  .shall 
be  jrlad  to  see  a  White  Rabbit." 


SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT.  83 

The  Giant  stamped  his  foot  and  shook  his  fist,  but 
Prince  would  not  marry  the  Giantess — they  were  a 
stubborn  family — and  the  long  and  the  short  of  it  was 
tiiat  the  Giant  said  Prince  should  marry  the  Bee,  and 
that  Prince  answered,  he  asked  no  belter. 

In  order  to  scorn  his  grandson  the  more,  the  Giant 
had  a  day  appointed  for  the  wedding  of  Prince  and 
the  Bee.  He  sent  out  a  great  many  invitations,  and 
they  were  all  accepted,  for  every  one  wanted  to  see 
a  Bee  married.  The  Giantess,  however,  was  too  much 
affronted  to  come,  tiiough  she  only  pretended  to  laugh, 
and  asked  if  Prince  meant  to  wear  the  Bee  in  his 
bonnet.  The  Giant  also  had  presents  prepared  for 
the  bride,  a  gold  crown  and  necklace,  and  wedding 
clothes  made  for  a  good  sized  Bee;  the  wedding  dress 
was  gold  brocade,  as  stiff  as  stiff  could  be.  The  mar- 
riage was  to  take  place  up  in  the  rocks,  and  there,  on 
the  wedding  morning,  the  Giant  went  with  Prince,  who 
looked  very  handsome  in  white  satin,  and  forty  fiddlers 
walked  behind  them,  all  playing,  and  as  many  lords 
and  ladies  as  could  be  got  together,  and  all  so 
beautifully  dressed  that  every  one  agreed  there  had 
never  been  a  wedding  so   grand  as  was  this.      Prince 


84  SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 

walked  first,  and  as  soon  as  he  got  up  in  the  rocks, 
the  little  golden  bee  came  towards  him,  and  lit  on  his 
finger. 

"  Oh !  that  is  the  Bee,  is  it  ? "  said  the  Giant. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Prince,  "that  is  the  Bee." 

"  And  what  White  Rabbit  is  that  behind  you  } "  asked 
the  Giant. 

The  Prince  turned  round  and  saw  a  White  Rabbit  in 
a  gold  collar  and  garters. 

"  That  is  my  bridesman,"  he  answered. 

"Well,  then,"  said  the  Giant,  "will  you  marry  that 
Bee } " 

"  Yes,"  answered  Prince,  "  I  will." 

"And  you.  Bee,  will  you  marry  Prince.^"  asked  the 
Giant. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  Bee,  "  I  will." 

And  scarcely  were  the  words  spoken  when  Sunbeam 
appeared  before  them  in  the  stiff  gold  brocade  dress, 
and  with  the  gold  necklace  and  the  crown  of  gold 
on  her  beautiful  sunny  hair, 

Eveiy  one  was  amazed  and  every  one  was  glad. 
The  forty  fiddlers  began  to  pla\',  and  Prince  took  Sun- 
beam straight  home  to  the  castle,  with  the  White  Rabbit 


^^^^sl^ 


The  forty  fiddlers  began  to  play,  and  Prince  look  Sunbeam  straight  liuine  to  the  castle.' 
—Pane  84- 


SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT.  85 

walking  on  his  hind  legs  behind  them,  and  a  swarm 
of  bees  went  with  them  as  far  as  the  castle  gate,  but 
would  not  go  in  for  fear  of  accidents,  though  Sunbeam, 
who  was  grateful  for  the  kindness  they  had  shown  her 
so  long,  pressed  them  ever  so  much. 

"Thank  you,  Sunbeam,"  said  the  Big  Bee;  "but  our 
oak-tree  was  too  small  for  you  formerly,  and  your  castle 
is  too  large  for  us  now.  So  good-bye,  and  come  and 
see  us,"  With  which  the  Big  Bee  flew  away  with  all 
the  other  bees  after  her. 

The  Giant  was  so  pleased  to  have  Sunbeam  at  last, 
that  he  declared  he  did  not  care  for  the  Giantess 
and  her  gold  now  that  he  had  Sunbeam  and  her 
golden  hair.  Sunbeam  agreed  to  let  him  look  at  it  as 
much  as  he  hked,  provided  he  did  not  put  his  hands 
through  it 

The  Giant  promised  that  he  never  would,  but  made  it 
a  condition  that  the  White  Rabbit  should  wear  his  gold 
collar  and  garters  and  dance  for  him  every  evening. 
This  the  W^hite  Rabbit  agreed  to  ;  but  he  made  it  a  con- 
dition that  the  Giant  should  never  have  him  dished  up 
for  supper.  When  all  this  was  settled  the  wedding 
went  on  quite  merrily,  and  every  one  was  as  good  and 


86 


SUNBEAM  AND  HER  WHITE  RABBIT. 


as  happy  as  every  one  could  be  for  ever  after,  especially 
Prince  and  Sunbeam  ;  and  Sunbeam  never  forgot  how- 
kind  the  bees  had  been  to  her,  but  often  went  to  sec 
them  with  her  White  Rabbit  behind  her. 


MM 


^^EDCAP  was  the  only 
child  of  a  widow  who  Hved  by  sifting  the  corn  which 
the  farmers  brought  to  her.  She  threw  away  the  bad 
seeds  outside  of  her  door,  and  they  fell  in  the  earth 
and  grew  there,  so  that  after  a  time  her  little  house 
was  almost  hidden  in  a  grove  of  blue,  red,  white,  and 


S8  REDCAP'S  AD  VENTURES  IN  FAIR  YLAND. 

)-ello\v  flowers  that  smelt  so  sweet  and  were  so  pretty 
to  look  at,  that  it  was  quite  a  pleasure  to  see  them. 
Redcap  liked  the  red  flowers  best,  and  he  always  stuck 
one  or  two  in  his  cap,  and  that  was  how  he  came  to 
be  called  Redcap.  All  these  flowers  bore  so  much 
seed  that  birds  flocked  to  the  place  and  built  their 
nests  near  it.  They  sang  all  the  day  long  in  spring, 
and  chattered  all  the  year  round,  and  there  was 
nothing  Redcap  liked  so  much  as  looking  at  the 
flowers  and  listening  to  the  birds.  He  only  wished 
he  could  know  what  they  said  when  they  talked  to 
each  other ;  and  at  length  he  asked  the  Magpie,  who 
was  the  greatest  chatterer  of  all,  and  was  always  going 
from  one  bird  to  another  with  his  head  on  one  side, 
and  ever  such  a  knowing  look. 

"  Dear  me,"  answered  Magpie,  "  I  wonder  you  don't 
understand  them,  Redcap ;  it  is  as  plain  as  A  B  C, 
and  they  are  all  talking  to  you.  '  Go  to  the  Queen,' 
they  say.     '  Go  to  the  Queen,  Redcap.'  " 

"  Do  they,"  said  Redcap — "  Then,  Magpie,  I  see 
what  it  is,  I  am  to  be  a  general — I  always  liked  red — 
and  I  must  go  to  the  Queen  and  tell  her  so." 

"  Then  I  shall  present  you,"  said  Magpie ;  "  the  Queen 


REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  IX  FAIRYLAXD.  89 

is  a  ver\-  intimate  friend  of  mine,  a  good  soul,  a  very 
good  soul  is  the  Queen." 

"  Magpie,"  answered  Redcap,  "  you  shall  stay  at 
home,  if  you  please.  What  has  a  bird  like  you  to  do 
with  queens  and  generals  !  " 

"  Oh,  ho,  my  fine  fellow,"  cried  Magpie,  "  do  you 
think  you  can  prevent  me  from  going  to  see  the  Queen. 
Mind  my  words.  Redcap,  I  shall  be  at  court  as  soon  as 
you  are." 

He  flew  aw^ay,  and  getting  all  the  other  birds  around 
him,  he  told  them  how  Redcap  was  going  to  court  in 
order  to  become  a  general,  and  how  he,  Magpie,  would 
present  him  to  his  friend  the  Queen. 

Redcap  got  up  very  early  the  next  morning  to  go  to 
the  palace,  which  was  a  long  way  off.  He  put  three 
red  flowers  in  his  cap  out  of  compliment  to  the  Queen, 
and  he  stole  so  softly  out  of  his  mother's  little  house, 
that  he  made  sure  Magpie  could  not  see  him.  When 
he  got  to  the  palace  and  asked  to  speak  to  the  Quee:i, 
the  porter  at  the  gate  inquired  into  his  business. 

"  I  want  to  become  one  of  her  Majesty's  generals," 
answered  Redcap. 

The    porter   laughed,  and  calling  an  usher,  he    told 


90  REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  IN  FAIRYLAND. 

him  what  was  Redcap's  errand.  The  usher  laughed, 
and  went  and  told  the  Queen  that  there  was  a  little  boy 
at  the  gate  of  the  palace  with  three  red  flowers  in  his 
cap,  who  wanted  to  become  one  of  her  generals. 

The  Queen  laughed,  and  said,  "  Show  him  in." 

As  Redcap  entered  the  room  where  the  Queen  sat 
on  her  throne,  Magpie  alighted  on  his  shoulder,  and 
perching  there,  said  in  his  ear : 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  Redcap,  I  shall  talk  to  the  Queen. 
May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  he  began. 

"  Let  the  boy  talk,  Magpie,"  said  the  Queen. 

"  May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  said  Redcap,  "  I 
always  liked  red,  and  I  want  to  become  one  of  your 
Majesty's  generals." 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you,"  answered  the 
Queen,  "and  I  am  sure  you  will  make  a  very  great 
general  indeed,  but  you  must  wait  till  a  vacancy 
occurs.     Good-bye,  Redcap." 

With  that  she  nodded  to  him,  and  told  the  usher  to 
show  him  out,  and  give  him  some  lollypops.  Redcap 
went  home  with  Magpie  on  his  shoulder,  talking  all 
the  way. 

*'  Well,  Redcap,"  said  he,  "  I  told  you  that  I  would 


REDCAP'S  ADVEXTURES  JN  FAIRYLAND.  91 

present  you  to  the  Queen,  and  you  see  all  that  has  come 
of  it.  You  arc  to  become  a  general,  and,  in  the  mean- 
while, you  have  got  a  lot  of  loll}-pops." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  you  had  anything  to  do 
with  it  ?"  cried  Redcap. 

"  Now,  Redcap,"  said  Magpie,  "  you  know  she  was 
looking  at  me  all  the  time  !" 

"She  was  looking  at  the  red  flowers  in  my  cap," 
answered   Redcap,   "and   I  don't   think  she    even    saw 

n 

you. 

"You  are  very  saucy,"  said  Magpie,  "and  very 
ungrateful;  but  never  mind,  I  shall  be  kind  to  you  for 
all  that." 

With  that  he  flew  away,  and  getting  the  other  birds 
around  him,  he  told  them  what  fine  things  he  had  been 
doing  for  Redcap,  with  the  Queen. 

Redcap  thought  to  be  appointed  a  general  the  next 
morning  or  so,  but  when  a  whole  week  passed,  and  he 
heard  nothing  about  a  vacancy,  he  could  not  help  say- 
ing to  Magpie,  with  whom  he  had  made  it  up:  "The 
Queen  is  not  making  a  general  of  me,  are  you  sure  .t 
was  'Go  to  the  Queen'  that  the  birds  were  saying.?" 

"Of  course  it  was,"  answered  Magpie,  "and  they  are 


92  REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  IN  FAIRYLAND. 

saying  it  still ;  but  there  are  more  queens  than  one,  and, 
between  ourselves,  I  think  they  must  have  meant  the 
Queen  of  the  Fairies.  I  have  never  seen  her,  but  I  know," 
said  Magpie,  winking  knowingly  at  Redcap,  "  that 
she  is  dying  to  see  me,  and  so  I  will  present  you,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  and  show  you  the  way  to  Fairyland." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Redcap,  "  but  I  shall  present  myself 
to  the  Queen  ;  and  as  to  the  road,  I  know  very  well  that 
Fairyland  lies  beyond  a  mountain  which  grows  close  to 
my  mother's  house,  and  I  shall  get  in  somehow." 

"  Oh  !  ho  ! "  cried  Magpie,  "  you  think  you  can  do 
without  me,  do  you  ?  But  I  can  fly,  and  you  cannot ; 
and  I  shall  be  in  Fairyland  as  soon  as  you  are.  Good 
night.  Redcap.  So  there  is  a  mountain  which  grows 
close  to  your  mother's  house,  is  there }  Well,  I  never 
heard  of  mountains  growing  before."  And  Magpie 
laughed  as  he  flew  away. 

Early  the  next  morning,  long  before  daylight,  Red- 
cap got  up,  and  stole  out  of  his  mother's  house,  making 
sure  that  Magpie  could  not  see  him.  But  though  he 
went  round  and  round  the  mountain,  not  a  cranny 
through  which  he  might  get  in  could  Redcap  find.  At 
length,  when  it  was  day,  he  climbed  up  in  a  tree  which 


REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  IN  E  AIRY  LAND  93 

grew  high  up  in  the  mountain-side,  and  when  he  got  up 
on  the  very  topmost  bough,  he  saw  Fairyland  all  below 
him.  He  also  saw  the  Queen,  who  was  going  out  hunt- 
ing, riding  on  a  white  horse,  with  all  her  gentlemen  and 
ladies  about  her,  and  Redcap  thought  he  had  never 
seen  such  a  fine  sight. 

"That's  the  Queen,"  said  Magpie.  "Bless  her 
Majesty,  how  well  she  looks  1  " 

Redcap  looked  up,  and  there  was  Magpie  perched 
on  his  cap,  and  flapping  his  wings  at  the  Queen  of  the 
Fairies.  Redcap  tried  to  get  him  off,  but  he  thereby 
loosened  his  hold  of  the  tree,  and  down  he  tumbled 
straight  into  Fairyland. 

"There  ! "  said  Magpie,  when  he  got  up,  "  I  told  you 
I  should  show  you  the  way  to  Fairyland.  This  way, 
Redcap,"  he  added,  strutting  on  before  him,  "shake 
the  dust  off  you,  my  boy,  and  don't  be  afraid.  I  shall 
present  you  to  the  Queen,  and  do  all  the  talking." 

"May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  he  began,  going  up  to 
the  Queen  of  the  Fairies. 

"  Let  the  boy  speak,  Magpie,"  said  the  Queen  ; 
"what  do  you  want.  Redcap  .''" 

"  May  it  please    your   Majesty,"    said    Redcap,  •'  I 


94  REDCAP'S  AD  VENTURES  IN  FAIR  YLAND. 

always  liked  red ;  and  I  want  to  be  one  of  your 
Majesty's  generals." 

"Oh  !  by  all  means,"  answered  the  Queen;  "but  you 
must  first  change  your  cap.  Give  Redcap  a  cap," 
added  the  Queen,  addressing  the  fairy  on  her  right ; 
"  and  take  him  to  the  stables,"  said  she  to  the  fairy  on 
her  left,  "and  let  him  choose  a  horse  to  his  liking.  For 
before  I  make  a  general  of  you,  Redcap,"  said  the 
Queen,  "  you  must  follow  the  hunt  with  me:" 

So  one  fairy  gave  Redcap  a  cap  that  fitted  him 
beautifully,  and  the  other  took  him  to  the  royal  stables 
where  Redcap  chose  a  little  black  horse,  called  Swift. 
The  fairy  warned  him  that  Swift  was  rather  dangerous, 
but  Redcap  answered  that  he  liked  a  horse  of  spirit, 
and  had  him  brought  out  at  once.  When  he  got  into 
the  saddle.  Magpie  perched  on  his  shoulder,  and  said, 
quite  loud  : 

''  Don't  be  afraid.  Redcap.  If  that  little  fairy  horse 
should  be  vicious,  I  shall  tell  you  how  to  manage  him/* 

Swift,  on  hearing  this,  was  very  much  affronted,  and 
snorted  and  tossed  his  head  angrily. 

"  Let  him  feel  your  spurs,"  said  Magpie. 

Redcap  did   as  he  was  bid,  and  oft"  went  the    little 


REDC^T'S  ADV/-:\TL'KES  LV  FAIRYLAXD.  95 

fairy  horse  with  Redcap  on  liis  back,  aiul  Ma^j^pic  on 
Redcap's  shoulders.  Swift  went  like  the  wind,  and 
Redcap  was  rather  afraid,  but  Magpie  flapped  his 
wings,  and  screamed  with  pleasure,  and  cried  out  : 

"  Faster !  faster !  I  say.  Keep  up  with  the  Queen, 
Redcap  I  Don't  let  any  one  get  ahead  of  you.  Let 
Swift  feel  your  spurs,  I  say." 

Redcap  spurred  Swift,  who  went  faster  and  faster, 
but  who,  instead  of  following  tlie  Queen,  galloped  with 
all  his  might  towards  a  large  pond  ;  and  when  he 
reached  it  stood  still.  The  pond  was  full  of  golden 
fishes,  who  all  put  up  their  heads  and  looked  out  of 
the  water  to  see  Swift,  Redcap,  and  Magpie. 

"  Don't  be  afraid.  Redcap,"  said  Magpie,  "  I  shall 
manage  him.  Come,  my  fine  fellow,"  he  added,  alight- 
ing on  Swift's  head,  "  I  shall  let  you  see  who  is  master! 
Clear  that  pond,  I  say." 

Swift  on  hearing  this  kicked  up  his  heels,  and  flung 
Magpie  off  his  head,  and  Redcap  off  his  back.  Mag- 
pie .flew  away,  but  Redcap  fell  right  into  the  water. 
His  cap  got  off  his  head  and  floated,  and  Redcap 
jumped  into  it  at  once,  for  the  cap  being  a  fairy  cap 
was  as  good  as  a  boat.     On  seeing  him  in  his  cap,  all 


96  REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  IN  FAIRYLAND. 

the  gold  fishes  burst  out  laughing,  and  called  out 
"Redcap!  Redcap  !" 

"  Never  mind,  Redcap,"  said  Magpie,  who  had 
perched  on  a  tree  ;  "  we  shall  pay  these  fairies  out  yet." 

When  the  gold  fishes  heard  this,  they  set  up  a  great 
cry,  and  went  and  complained  to  the  Queen  that  Mag- 
pie had  threatened  them. 

"  Did  he  ?"  said  the  Queen  ;  "  then  turn  him  out." 

Magpie  was  accordingly  turned  out  of  Fairyland  at 
once.  He  went  back  to  the  other  birds,  and  told  them 
that  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies  had  consented  to  make 
Redcap  one  of  her  generals  on  his  recommendation, 
and  that  she  had  appointed  him  her  ambassador,  and 
that  he  had  so  much  to  do,  that  he  should  never  get 
through  it.  Redcap  was  very  glad  to  be  rid  of  Mag- 
pie, and  he  asked  the  Queen  to  let  him  mount  Swift 
again,  and  follow  her.  The  Queen  said  yes,  and  gave 
him  a  little  whip, 

"  Just  touch  Swift  with  that,"  said  she,  "  and  he 
will  carry  you  safely  ;  and  now  let  us  all  be  ofif  again." 

So  away  went  the  Queen,  and  all  her  ladies  and 
gentlemen  after  her,  and  Redcap  with  the  rest.  But 
though   Swift    seemed   to  behave  very  well,  he    owed 


REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  I.V  I- AIR  VIA. WD.  97 

R  ';.\ip  a  grudge  on  account  of  Magpie,  and  as  he 
ran  he  asked  all  the  fairies  on  his  way  to  rid  him  of 
that  nuisance  on  his  back.  They  were  willing  enough, 
for  thev  saw  how  much  the  Queen  was  taken  with  him 
and  his  red  cap,  and  they  were  already  jealous  of  him. 
Swift,  who  was  full  of  tricks,  pretended  to  be  taking 
Redcap  to  the  pond  again,  but  Redcap  said  very 
sternly,  "Not  there,  if  }-ou  please,  sir." 

Upon  which  Swift  turned  right  round,  and  what 
should  Redcap  see  before  him,  and  between  the 
Queen  and  the  hunt,  but  a  field  full  of  eggs  white  as 
snow,  and  lying  as  thick  as  thick  could  be.  Redcap 
reined  in,  for  he  did  not  know  what  to  do.  If  he  rode 
through  the  eggs  what  a  mess  he  would  be  in,  and  if 
he  did  not,  how  could  he  keep  up  with  the  Queen  ? 
Swift,  on  seeing  him  puzzled,  was  so  glad  that  he 
threw  back  his  ears  and  laughed. 

"Oh!  ho!"  says  Redcap,  "is  that  it  .-^  then  go  on, 
sir,  and  eggs  or  no  eggs,  follow  the  hunt,  I  say."  He 
gave  him  a  touch  of  his  whip.  Swift  stooped  his  head 
and  dashed  through  the  Q^g?,  and  in  a  moment  every 
e.gg  got  a  pair  of  wings  and  flew  away,  calling  out — 
"  Redcap  !  Redcap  1 '' 


98  REDCAP'S  AD  VENTURES  IN  FAIR  YLAND. 

"Well,  Redcap,"  said  the  Queen  when  he  came  up  to 
her,  "how  are  you  getting  on  ?" 

"May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  said  he,  "all  the 
fairies  turned  themselves  into  eggs  to  prevent  me 
from  keeping  up  with  your  Majest}',  and  when  I  rode 
through  them,  they  flew  away  and  called  me  Redcap." 

"  Dear  me,"  said  the  Queen,  "  I  see  you  have  got 
enemies.  Take  this  sword,  and  when  you  are  attacked, 
defend  yourself  with  it.     And  now  let  us  be  off  again." 

Away  rode  the  Queen  and  Redcap  after  her.  He 
did  not  spare  Swift,  but  made  him  keep  up  with  the 
Queen,  and  Swift  was  more  angry  than  ever,  and  told 
all  the  fairies  on  his  way  to  rid  him  of  Redcap.  But 
Redcap  was  so  brave  that  the  fairies  did  not  know 
what  to  do  against  him.  They  put  their  heads  to- 
gether, however,  and  presently  Swift  took  Redcap 
through  a  field  full  of  beautiful  red  flowers.  Redcap 
was  sadly  tempted  to  get  down  and  pick  some,  but  he 
thought  better  of  it,  and  only  made  Swift  go  faster. 
Then  all  at  once  a  bee  flew  out  of  every  flower  until 
the  air  was  thick  with  bees.  Turn  where  he  would, 
Redcap  met  nothing  but  bees.  They  buzzed  so,  that 
he  was  almost  deaf,  and  they  shed  such  a  yellow  dust 


REDCAP'S  ADVE.XJUKES  IN  FAIRYLAXD.  99 

that  ho  was  ahnost  blinded.  Swift,  scciii;^^  him  so 
puzzled,  threw  back  his  ears  and  laughed. 

•'  Oh  !  ho  1  "  said  Redcap  ;  "  these  must  be  the 
enemies  against  whom  the  Queen  has  warned  me." 

He  took  out  his  sword  and  cut  right  and  left  around 
him,  upon  which  all  the  bees  kissed  their  hands  to  him 
and  flew  away,  calling  out — "  Redcap  !   Redcap  !" 

When  Redcap  got  up  to  the  Queen  the  hunt  was 
over,  and  the  Queen  asked  him  why  he  had  not  kci)t 
up  with  her. 

"  May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  he  answered,  "  I  was 
beset  with  fairies  under  the  shape  of  bees,  who  buzzed 
at  me  and  shed  their  dust  upon  me,  and  when  I  cut 
through  them  with  the  sword  your  Majesty  had  given 
me,  they  flew  away  calling  out  Redcap." 

"  Well,  Redcap,"  said  the  Queen,  "  I  see  you  have 
too  many  enemies  to  stay  here.  You  must  go  home 
for  seven  years,  and  then  come  back  to  me.  Swift 
shall  take  you  to  the  borders  of  Fairyland.  Mind  you 
do  not  lose  your  cap,  your  whip,  or  your  sword.  Good- 
bye, Redcap." 

The  Queen  gave  him  a  nod  and  rode  away,  and 
Swift  took   him   at  once   to  the  borders  of  Fairvland 


loo  REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  IN  FAIRYLAND. 

When  they  came  within  view  of  the  tree  from  which 
Redcap  had  tumbled,  there  arose  a  great  wind. 

"  Take  care,  Redcap,"  cried  Magpie,  who  was  perched 
on  the  tree  watching  for  him  ;  "  you  will  lose  your  cap 
if  you  don't  mind." 

When  Redcap  looked  up  and  saw  Magpie  flapping 
his  wings  at  him,  he  was  so  enraged  that  he  took  out 
his  sword  and  threatened  him  with  it ;  but  unluckily 
in  taking  out  his  sword  he  dropped  his  whip,  and  in 
stooping  to  pick  up  his  whip  with  the  point  of  his 
sword,  he  let  his  cap  fall  off  his  head.  He  jumped 
down  to  get  it  back  again,  but  no  sooner  did  Swift  feel 
him  off  his  back  than  he  snorted,  kicked  up  his  heels, 
and  galloped  away,  carrying  off  the  sword,  of  which  the 
hilt  had  caught  in  his  bridle.  Redcap  ran  after  him, 
but  there  was  no  overtaking  Swift,  who  only  laughed 
and  called  out  "Redcap!"  So  Redcap  turned  back 
to  get  at  least  the  cap  and  whip,  but  they  too  were 
gone. 

"The  fairies  came  and  took  them  away,"  said 
Magpie  from  the  tree.  "I  screamed  at  them,  and  I 
flapped  my  wings,  but  they  took  them  all  the  same. 
If  you  had  minded  me  you  would  not  have  lost  your 


REDCAP'S  ADVENTURES  IN  FAIRYLAND.  loi 

cap!  Well,  well,  better  luck  .next  .time,  and  another 
time  too,  do  mind  me,  Redcap". 

With  that  Magpie  flevv'.a'svay,:^i3(j*\\'eflt'«a*n*e?  "t^^  all 
the  birds  how  Redcap  had  come  back  from  Fairy- 
land without  his  cap,  his  sword,  or  his  whip,  and  all 
that  because  he  would  not  mind  him. 

The  first  thing  Redcap  did  when  he  got  home  was 
to  get  another  cap,  and  the  next,  to  try  and  hunt 
away  Magpie  ;  but  Magpie  would  not  be  driven  away. 
He  was  fond  of  Redcap,  he  said,  and  would  be  kind 
to  him  all  the  same.  So  he  came  year  after  year, 
chattering  with  the  other  birds,  and  telling  them  all 
the  grand  things  he  had  done  for  Redcap. 

Although  he  had  lost  the  cap,  whip,  and  sword, 
which  the  Queen  had  given  him.  Redcap  greatly 
wished  to  go  back  to  Fairyland.  He  went  to  the 
mountain  and  climbed  up  the  tree,  and  looked  down, 
but  though  he  saw  Fairyland  very  plainly,  it  seemed 
further  away  than  the  first  time,  and  he  did  not  dare 
to  drop  into  it  Indeed,  every  time  he  went  and 
looked  at  it,  Fairyland  got  to  be  farther  and  farther, 
and  at  last  it  was  so  far  that  Redcap  went  no  more, 
but   was   content   to    sift    corn   with    his    mother.       He 


I02  REDCAP'S  ADVENTVRLS  IX  FAIKYLAAD. 

would  have  beep  .quite  happy  with  the  flowers  and 
the  birds  it  it  had  noc  been  for  Magpie.  When  he 
grew  I'.p,  hf;  biiik.  •vm^clf  ,a  big  house,  and  stayed 
almost  al\va\s  within  it,  in  order  to  have  nothing  to 
do  with  Magpie;  but  it  was  no  use,  Magpie  peeped  in 
at  him  through  the  windows,  and  screamed  and  flapped 
his  wings,  and  called  out  "  Redcap." 

So    Redcap  had  to  bear  with  Magpie  after  all,  and 
after  a  time  he  did  not  mind  it. 


\ 


fm  mh  Mifm 


l-'RN  had  two  brothers,  Fire  and  Water. 

She  was  reared  with   Water  and  loved 

^  MM^/ ^V''      '^'"^   dearly,    for    he    was    frolicsome,    and 

leaped  about  her,  and  laugfhed,  and  sancj- 


w%. 


I04  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

and  Fern,  who  was  always  in  a  sort  of  dream,  sat  in 
the  shade,  and  listened  to  him,  and  looked  at  him 
through  her  half- shut  eyes,  and  thought  him,  in  his 
blue  coat  shot  with  green  and  trimmed  with  silver, 
the  handsomest  lad  that  had  ever  been.  But  Fire  had 
been  reared  by  his  uncle.  Sultan  Sol,  at  the  other  end 
of  the  world,  and  Fern  was  grown  up  when  she  saw 
him  first.  She  thought  she  must  have  fainted  at  his 
appearance,  she  was  so  frightened,  for  Fire  had  red 
hair  to  begin  with,  and  the  most  angry -looking  e\es. 

"  Oh  !  don't  come  near  nie  ;  pray  don't  I  "  cried  poor 
Fern,  "or  I  shall  die." 

"  Wait,  my  dear,"  said  Fire,  taking  a  pair  of  blue 
spectacles  out  of  his  pocket  and  putting  them  on ;  "  my 
uncle  Sultan  Sol  gave  me  these  for  fear  of  accidents." 

"Yes;  but  don't  come  near  me,"  still  cried  Fern, 
shrinking  in  horror.  "You  wear  a  scarlet  coat,  and 
scarlet  is  a  colour  I  never  could  bear." 

Fire  did  wear  a  scarlet  coat  lined  with  gold,  and  he 
thought  it  very  fine  ;  but  he  wished  to  please  Fern,  so 
he  said  again  : 

"Wait,  my  dear,  my  uncle  Sultan  Sol  gave  me  a 
cloak,  that  is  the  very  thing.     Just  see." 

So  saying,  he  took  a  brown  cloak  out  of  his  pocket ; 
for  it  was  so   soft   and   so  fine  that  he  could  make  it 


FIRE  AXD  WATER.  105 

up  ever  so  small,  and  spreading  it  out,  he  put  it 
around  him. 

"That  is  my  smoke  cloak,"  he  said ;  "  but  to  tell  you 
the  truth  I  only  put  it  on  when  I  am  out  of  temper. 
So  pray  do  not  ask  me  to  wear  it  often.  Well,  now 
that  it  is  on,  you  do  not  see  my  scarlet  coat,  do  you  t" 

"  Oh  !  yes,  yes,  I  do,"  replied  Fern,  shuddering, 
"pray  get  another  cloak,  this  is  too  thin." 

"  Oh !  I  can  make  it  as  thick  as  I  like,"  replied 
Fire ;  "  only,  the  thicker  it  is,  the  more  ill-tempered  I 
feel." 

"  Never  mind,"  said  Fern,  "  I  cannot  bear  the  sight 
of  scarlet." 

Fire  frowned  and  looked  quite  angry ;  but  he  did 
thicken  his  cloak,  and  so  it  thickened  and  thickened 
till  it  looked  almost  black. 

"Well,  I  suppose  you  will  let  me  kiss  you  now,"  saiil 
he,  going  up  to  Fern.     But  she  uttered  a  little  cr\'. 

"Kiss  mel"shesaid;  "do  you  mean  to  scorch  me  up.'" 

Fire,  who  was  always  ill-tempered  when  he  had  his 
brown  smoke  cloak  on,  did  not  mind  her  a  bit,  and  was 
going  to  take  her  up  in  his  arms  and  kiss  her,  when 
Water  leaped  on  his  back, — he  liked  a  practical  joke, — 
and  clapped  his  arms  around  his  neck.  Now,  Water 
was  always  cool,  and  if  there  was   a  thing  Fire  hated. 


lo6   .  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

it  was  cold,  besides  people  so  rarely  took  liberties  with 
liim  that  he  now  got  angry  with  his  own  brother. 

"Let  me  go,  will  \'ou,"  he  cried,  foaming  and  hissing 
with  rage,  "  let  me  go,  or  I  shall  make  you  repent  it." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  you,  old  fellow,"  said  Water, 
laughing,  and  giving  him  a  sly  kick  in  the  ribs.  "You 
cannot  do  anything  to  me,  you  know." 

Fire  tried  to  shake  him  off,  but  he  could  not;  then  he 
thought  to  take  off  his  spectacles  and  burn  him  up  with 
his  angry  eyes  ;  but  Water  had  a  little  squirt  ready  for 
him,  and  Fire  put  his  spectacles  on  again  in  a  hurry. 
Then  he  attempted  to  pull  off  his  cloak,  but  Water 
breathed  upon  it  so  that  the  cloak  grew  thicker  and 
thicker,  and  Fire  had  scarcely  breath  left  to  cry  out : 

"  I  say,  do  you  mean  to  smother  me  "i " 

This  sobered  Water,  who  let  Fire  go,  and  declared 
he  meant  it  all  as  fun.  The  brothers  became  friends 
again,  but  Fern  would  not  let  Fire  come  near  her, 
and  though  she  agreed  to  love  him,  she  informed  him 
that  it  must  be  at  a  distance. 

"Well,  then,"  said  Fire,  "I  think  I  shall  travel,  and 
see  the  world  a  bit." 

"So  will  1"  said  Water.  "You  will  not  mind  my 
leaving  you,  Fern,  will  you.''" 

"  Oh   no,"   answered    Fern,   "  I    shall   not."      To   say 


FIRE  AiVD  WATER.  107 

the  trutli,  she  was  rather  pleased  that  both  her  brotliers 
should  go  away  for  a  while.  She  could  not  help  being 
afraid  of  Fire  in  her  heart,  and  Water  had  become 
troublesome  o{  late,  he  had  such  high  spirits. 

The  two  brothers  agreed  to  travel  together,  and 
Fern,  still  sitting  in  the  shade,  wished  them  a  liapp\- 
journey,  and  promised  to  wait  for  them  there,  and 
not  marry  till  they  came  back. 

"  Suppose  we  get  you  a  husband.  Fern,"  said  Fire, 
who  was  good-natured,  and  liked  his  sister,  "  a  fine 
bright  young  fellow,  ever  so  lively  .'*" 

*'  No,  no,"  said  Water ;  "  Fern  wants  a  cool,  steady 
man  ;  don't  you,  Fern  ?  " 

"You  know  nothing  about  it,  either  of  you,"  said 
Fern  saucily  ;  "  I  want  the  Wise  Man." 

"What  makes  you  want  him,  Fern  ">."  asked  Water. 

"  Well,  I  want  him  because  he  is  wise,  and  I  am 
foolish,"  replied  Fern  ;  "  besides,  I  have  heard  that 
he  lives  in  a  wonderful  place,  and  I  have  a  fancy  for 
a  house  of  my  own.  It  is  very  pleasant,  no  doubt, 
to  live  as  I  do  ;  but  I  should  like  shelter  in  winter, 
and  shade  in  summer." 

"  And  when  we  have  got  the  Wise  Man,  Fern,"  said 
Fire,  "  are  we  to  bring  him  to  you,  or  to  take  you 
to  him  .'" 


loS  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

"  I  don't  know,"  answered  Fern  ;  "  but  I  do  know 
that  I  shall  not  stir.  I  have  never  walked  one  step, 
and  I  am  not  going  to  begin  now,  am  I  ?  I  was  born 
sitting,  sitting  I  will  live,  and  sitting  I  will  die." 

Well,  Fire  and  Water  again  bade  Fern  good-bye, 
and  went  on  their  way.  They  promised  Fern  that 
they  would  look  for  the  Wise  Man,  also  that  they 
would  not  quarrel  ;  but  the  brothers  had  not  walked 
half  a  mile  when  they  began  to  disagree.  It  was 
all  about  the  Wise  Man,  and  where  he  was  to  be 
found. 

"  1  know,"  said  Fire  ;  "  my  uncle.  Sultan  Sol,  has 
a  brass  palace  on  the  top  of  a  burning  mountain, 
and  I  feel  pretty  sure  the  Wise  Man  lives  there.  Let 
us  go  to  it,  and  take  this  path  to  the  right." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Water,  "  he  lives  in  a  clear  glass 
house  on  a  green  island.  I  have  seen  the  place 
again  and  again,  and  this  road  to  the  left  will  take 
us  to  it  in  no  time." 

"As  if  a  Wise  Man  would  live  in  a  glass  house," 
sneered  Fire. 

"  Why  not  as  well  as  in  a  brass  palace  on  the  top 
of  a  burning  mountain  ?"  asked  Water,  getting  angry. 

In  short,  the  brothers  had  a  quarrel,  and  only  agreed 
in   one  thing,   and   that  was  to  part  company.      Fire 


FIRE  AND  WATER.  109 

took  the  path  to  the  rij^ht,  and  Water  the  road  to 
the  left,  and  each  turned  his  back  on  the  other. 

"Don't  f;;et  into  trouble,"  said  Water,  noddinf^  over 
his  shoulder  at  Fire  as  he  walked  away.  "You  arc 
a  very  mischievous  fellow,  you  know,  Fire." 

"  Not  half  so  mischievous  as  you,  with  your  sly, 
quiet  ways,"  answered  Fire,  blazing  up ;  "  so  don't 
you  get  into  trouble,  brother  Water." 

"  No  fear  of  that,"  replied  Water  ;  "  I  do  good." 

"And  so  do  I,"  retorted  Fire;  and  so  they  went 
on  quarrelling  until  they  were  out  of  sight  and 
hearing. 

Well,  they  did  get  into  trouble,  both  of  them,  for  they 
were  mischievous  when  they  meddled,  and  this  was  the 
way  of  it.  Fire  walked  on  until  towards  night  (and  a 
very  cold  night  it  was),  he  came  to  an  old  tumble-down 
house  just  outside  a  town — for  Fire  likes  town  much 
better  than  country.  This  house  belonged  to  a  Miser, 
who  lived  in  it  alone  with  his  little  grandchild.  Fire 
pushed  the  door  open,  and  walked  into  the  kitchen. 
He  found  the  Miser  there  sitting  staring  at  the  grate 
where  two  or  three  bits  of  coal  were  just  going  out,  and 
his  grandchild  crouched  in  a  corner,  and  crying  with 
the  cold. 

"  What  is  that  child  crying  for  .'  "  asked  Fire. 


no  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

"  Children  are  always  crying,"  answered  the  Miser. 

"  That  child  cries  because  it  is  cold,"  said  Fire, 

"How  can  I  help  its  being  cold?"  answered  the 
Miser. 

"Make  those  coals  burn,"  said  Fire. 

"I  can't,"  said  the  Miser;  "the  bellows  wants  mend- 
ing." 

But  it  was  not  true,  he  only  wanted  to  spare  the 
coals. 

"  I  shall  make  them  burn  for  you,"  said  Fire.  He 
opened  his  mouth,  and  there  shot  up  such  a  blaze  as 
you  never  did  see,  and  Fire  got  into  the  blaze,  and 
roared  up  the  chimney,  shouting  Hurrah  1  He  got  out 
at  the  top,  and  leaped  about  the  roof;  and  presently 
the  house,  which  was  old,  began  to  burn.  Fire  laughed 
to  hear  it  crackle  and  to  see  it  shrivel  up,  and  he  never 
thought  of  the  child.  He  only  thought  what  rare  fun 
this  was.  He  soon  found  out,  however,  that  fun  gets 
people  into  mischief.  The  Miser's  house  kindled  the 
house  next  it,  and  that  lit  another  house,  and  so  on  ; 
and  though  the  Miser's  house  was  the  only  one  that  was 
burned  down,  all  the  people  of  the  town  agreed  that 
Fire  was  a  mischievous  fellow,  and  turned  him  out, 
warning  him  never  to  show  his  face  there  again. 

For  a  long  time  after  parting  from  his  brother,  Water 


FIRE  AND  IV A  TER.  1 1 1 

met  no  one.  and  he  felt  rather  dull  ;  but  at  length, 
as  he  was  walking  b\'  a  little  stream,  he  saw  a  Bride- 
groom who  was  going  to  fetch  his  bride.  "  Good-morn- 
ing," ."^aid  Water,  "we  are  walking  the  same  wa}-,  I 
believe.     I  shall  be  glad  of  }-our  company,  master." 

"  I  daresay  you  will,  if  you  get  it,"  answered  the 
Bridegroom,  "but  I  want  none  of  yours;  I  am  going  to 
fetch  my  bride." 

"  Oh !  then  I  must  go  with  \'ou,"  said  Water ;  "  I 
want  to  see  the  bride." 

The  Bridegroom  laughed,  and  looked  quite  scornful. 
See  his  bride  indeed  ! 

"  Why,  surely,"  remarked  Water,  "  a  cat  may  look 
at  a  king  !  " 

"As  to  that,"  replied  the  Bridegroom,  sneering,  "we 
shall  pass  by  here  on  our  way  home  from  church,  so 
if  you  will  wait  till  we  come  back,  you  may  look  at 
the  bride,  and  welcome  ;  but  you  shall  not  come  with 
me." 

Water  was  ver\-  much  affronted,  but  he  did  not 
pretend  to  be  so,  and  merely  saying  he  would  wait,  he 
sat  down  on  a  big  stone  ni;^di  the  little  stream,  whilst 
the  Bridegroom  got  into  a  boat,  and  rowed  himself 
across.  At  the  end  of  an  hour  or  so,  there  was  a 
great    sound    of    music,    sincriiTj-,     and     laughing,    and 


1 1 2  FIRE  AND  WA  TER. 

Water  snw  the  bridal  party  on  the  other  side  of  the 
stream.  The  bride  was  beautifully  dressed,  with  a 
wreath  of  flowers  on  her  head,  and  the  Bridegroom 
walked  by  her  side,  as  vain  as  a  peacock.  When  he 
saw  Water  he  nodded  and  laughed. 

"  You  may  look  at  the  bride  now,"  said  he. 

"  Thank  you,"  answered  Water. 

The  Bridegroom  handed  the  bride  into  the  boat,  and 
she  sat  down ;  but  just  as  he  was  going  to  get  in  and 
sit  down  by  her,  the  stream  swelled  and  swelled  until 
it  became  a  river,  and  the  boat,  with  the  bride  in  it, 
went  sailing  down,  and  was  soon  out  of  reach.  The 
Bridegroom  stamped,  and  tore  his  hair.  The  brides- 
maids screamed,  and  every  one  ran  up  and  down  shout- 
ing, and  still  the  bride  and  the  boat  went  floating  down 
till  they  came  to  a  mill,  and  were  stopped  by  the  miller. 
The  stream  was  so  swollen,  however,  that  the  Bride- 
groom had  to  go  down  ever  so  far  before  he  could  find 
a  bridge,  and  join  his  bride.  He  shook  his  fist  at 
Water,  he  was  in  such  a  rage,  but  "  Good-bye,"  said 
Water,  and  he  went  away  laughing. 

Fire  and  Water  had  a  good  many  other  adventures  of 
the  same  kind  whilst  they  were  looking  for  the  Wise 
Man.  They  meant  no  harm,  yet  they  always  got  into 
mischief,  and  the  last  trouble  thev  had  was  the  worst  oi 


FIRE  AXD  WATER.  113 

all.  It  SO  happened,  that  after  going  round  the  world, 
the  two  brothers  came  back  to  the  very  sput  where  they 
had  Darted,  and  that  whilst  Fire  entered  a  forest  at  one 
end,  Water  got  into  it  at  the  other.  Fire  had  not 
walked  long  before  he  met  a  hare  running  for  her  life. 

"  What  is  the  matter  t  "  asked  Fire. 

"  The  Deer  is  hunting  me,"  said  the  Hare,  and  she 
was  gone. 

Presently  the  Deer  came  running  bj',  and  Fire  asked 
him  what  was  the  matter. 

"  I  am  hunting  the  Hare,"  answered  the  Deer;  "  and 
the  Fox  is  hunting  me." 

After  another  while  the  Fox  went  past. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ? "  asked  Fire. 

"I  am  hunting  the  Deer,"  said  the  Fox;  "and  the 
hounds  and  the  huntsmen  are  hunting  me. ' 

And  he,  too,  was  gone. 

Then  came  the  hounds  and  the  huntsmen  ;  and  when 
Fire  asked  them  what  was  the  matter,  "  We  are  hunting 
the  Hare,  the  Deer,  and  the  Fox,"  said  they. 

"Then  I  shall  hunt  them  with  >-ou,"  said  Fire. 
"  Look,  and  see  what  I  can  do !  " 

With  that  he  opened  his  mouth  and  breathed,  and 
he   shook   his   hair,  and  presently  the   branches  of  the 

H 


114  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

trees  began  to  kindle,  and  after  a  while  the  forest  was 
in  a  blaze. 

Now  Water,  after  resting  some  time  near  an 
aqueduct  which  crossed  the  forest,  was  going  on  again 
when  he  heard  a  great  uproar. 

He  looked,  and  saw  the   Hare  running  and  panting. 

"What  ails  you  .^ "  said  he. 

"Oh!"  answered  the  Hare,  "the  Deer  was  hunting 
me  when  Fire  came  and  set  all  the  forest  in  a  blaze, 
and  now  we  shall  all  be  burned  to  death." 

Then  the  Deer  came  up  with  the  tears  running  down 
his  cheeks. 

"We  must  all  die,"  said  he;  "it  is  no  use  going 
away."     And  he  laid  himself  down. 

Then  came  the  Fox. 

"  We  shall  be  burned  alive,"  said  he.  "  I  do  not 
care  for  the  hounds  now." 

Then  the  hounds  and  the  huntsmen,  barking,  shout- 
ing, all  came  on  together,  and  all  gathered  in  one  spot, 
because  there  was  no  going  any  further  through  Fire 
having  hemmed  them  in, 

''  Oh  ho  !  "  said  Water ;  *'  you  are  at  your  tricks,  are 
}'ou.  my  lad  .''     Wait  a  bit !  " 

With  that  he  got  on  the  aqueduct,  and  opened  it 
everywhere,   till    the  river   that   was  within    came   out 


FIKE  AND  WATER.  115 

and  spread  over  all  the  forest,  and  Fire  had  to  put  his 
smoke- cloak  on  as  fast  as  he  could.  But  as  the  river 
spread  and  spread  and  got  hij;her  and  luL^her,  tlie  Hare, 
the  Deer,  the  Fox,  the  hounds,  and  the  luintsmen  all 
cried  out,  "  We  shall  be  drowned.  You  are  worse 
than  Fire.     Let  us  out — let  us  out  !  " 

But  Water  only  said,  "Don't  be  afraid!"  and  he 
walked  away. 

He  had  not  walked  far  before  he  met  Fire,  and  said 
to  him,  *'  Well,  old  fellow,  you  have  been  at  your  tricks 
again  ;  but  I  have  settled  you." 

"  You  have  settled  the  Hare,  the  Deer,  the  Fox,  the 
hounds,  and  the  huntsmen,"  answered  Fire,  "  and  you 
ought  to  be  ashamed  of  \-ourself" 

Uj)on  that  they  had  another  quarrel,  and  they  only 
made  it  up  when  they  heard  a  great  hue  and  cry 
behind  them.  They  looked,  and  saw  the  Hare,  the 
Deer,  the  Fox,  the  hounds,  and  the  huntsmen  all 
pursuing  them,  for  they  had  escaped  somehow,  and 
they  had  agreed  to  hunt  Fire  and  Water  and  kill  them 
if  they  could.  Fire  and  Water  had  now  to  run  for  life, 
and  they  ran  till  they  were  far  out  of  the  forest,  and 
they  came  to  a  cavern,  where  they  got  in  to  hide.  At 
first  they  saw  nothing,  it  was  so  dark,  but  after  a 
while   they  were  aware  of  a  little  man  who  sat  on  a 


ii6  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

Stone  with  a  big  black  dragon  at  his  feet.  They 
were  so  frightened  at  the  sight  of  the  Dragon  that 
they  wanted  to  run  away,  but  the  httle  man  called 
them  back. 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  We  are  Fire  and  Water,"  they  answered.  "  And 
who  are  you  .''  " 

"  I  am  the  Wise  Man." 

Fire  and  Water  were  very  glad  to  have  found  the 
Wise  Man  at  last ;  but  they  did  not  dare  to  go  nearer 
to  him  on  account  of  the  Dragon. 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  him,"  said  the  Wise  Man  ;  "  I 
have  only  just  finished  him,  and  he  will  not  stir  hand 
or  foot.  He  is  the  finest  Dragon  that  ever  was,  but 
he  is  also  the  laziest.  I  have  coaxed  him,  I  have 
threatened  him,  I  have  just  given  him  a  whipping,  and 
he  will  not  stir.  I  wanted  him  to  take  me  about,  for 
I  am  tired  of  being  here,  and  as  you  see,  I  harnessed 
him  to  a  nice  little  car,  in  which  I  was  to  sit,  but  if  he 
will  not  go,  what  am  1  to  do  ?" 

"Does  he  bite  V  asked  Water. 

"  Bite  1   I  tell  you  he  will  not  stir." 

*'  I  shall  make  him  stir,"  said  Water. 

"Yes,"  said  Fire,  "  I  think  we  can  make  your  Dragon 
gallop  if  we  set  about  it." 


"'^m^^:^:^;^^''^^ 


'They  were  no  iri^i 


ihcy  waiKed  to  run  away.' 


FIRE  AXD  WATER.  117 

Water  went  and  opened  the  Dragon's  back,  and 
got  inside  of  the  beast,  and  shut  himself  up  again. 
Then  Fire  leaped  on  the  Dragon's  neck,  and  taking 
liold  of  Ills  horns  he  urged  him  to  go.  At  first  the 
Dragon  wouUi  not  stir,  but  looked  blacker  and  more 
suiky  than  ever.  Then  when  he  felt  Water  within  him, 
and  Fire  on  his  back,  he  got  angry.  His  big  eyes 
glowed  like  two  coals,  and  he  bubbled  and  hissed  and 
spluttered  till  even  the  Wise  Man  kept  at  a  distance  from 
him  ;  but  neither  Fire  nor  Water  were  afraid.  Water 
stayed  within  him,  and  Fire  worked  his  horns,  till  the 
Dragon  could  bear  it  no  longer,  and  with  a  great  snort, 
and  the  smoke  and  steam  coming  out  of  his  nostrils, 
darted  out  of  the  cavern. 

"Stop,  stop,"  cried  the  Wise  Man,  "don't  go  without 
me." 

He  had  only  time  to  jump  into  his  little  car,  for  once 
the  Dragon  was  off  neither  Fire  nor  Water  could  stop 
him,  when  they  were  out  scouring  through  the  country. 
As  the}'  fiew  along  they  met  the  hunt  still  in  pursuit  of 
the  two  brothers.  On  seeing  Fire,  the  huntsmen  raised 
a  great  cry,  and  urged  their  horses  ;  but  Fire  gave  the 
alarm  to  Water,  and  the  two  managed  the  Dragon  so 
well  that  the  Hare,  the  Deer,  the  Fox,  the  hound.s,  and 
the  huntsmen  were  out  of  sight  in  no  time. 


Ii8  FIRE  AND  WATER. 

Fern  was  terribly  frightened  when  she  saw  the  black 
Dragon,  and  Fire  getting  off  his  back,  and  Water  coming 
out  of  his  inside;  but  when  the  Wise  Man  stepped  out 
of  his  litt'.e  car  and  praised  her  brothers  for  the  clever 
way  in  which  they  had  managed  his  big  black  Dragon, 
Fern  was  better  pleased.  Still  she  could  not  agree  to 
marry  the  Wise  Man  till  he  had  promised  to  build  her 
a  beautiful  palace  all  of  glass,  which  he  did  without 
loss  of  time.  When  the  palace  was  built  the  Wise  Man 
put  Fern  in  it,  and  took  her  away  in  his  little  car. 
Water  got  inside  the  Dragon,  and  Fire  on  his  back,  and 
off  they  went  again,  and  from  that  time  forward  Fire 
and  Water  agreed. 


••  He  had  promised  to  build  her  a  beautiful  palace  all  of  gla^s."-- ''-iT'  "8 


f'LRE   was   once 

upon     a     time    a 

poor    widow    who 

liad     tiircc     little 

boys.     Their  names  were  Dick,  Jack,  and  Bill.     Ihcy 

were  all  born  on  the  same  day,  and  were  very   much 

alike,  for  they  all  had  curly  brown  hair,  blue  eyes,  and 


I20  TIPSY'S  SILVER  BELL. 

round  rosy  faces.  They  lived  with  their  mother  in  a 
poor  little  house,  which  was  the  very  last  in  all  the 
town  ;  but  which  the  widow  kept  so  neat  and  clean 
that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  see  it.  There  were  plenty  of 
fairies  in  those  daj's,  and  they  liked  best  such  people 
as  were  tidy  in  their  ways.  The  widow  knew  this  and 
did  not  let  her  boys  forget  it. 

"  Keep  )'ourselves  nice,"  said  she  to  Dick,  Jack, 
and  Bill,  "  and  the  fairies  will  surely  be  kind  to 
you." 

The  widow  lived  by  sewing ;  but  though  she  rose 
early,  worked  hard  all  day,  and  went  to  bed  late,  she 
found  it  so  hard  to  make  both  ends  meet  that,  when 
her  boys  were  only  six  years  old,  she  prenticed  them 
all  three — Dick  to  a  tailor,  Jack  to  a  shoemaker, 
and  Bill  to  a  saddler.  The  boys  slept  at  home,  but 
went  together  every  morning  to  their  masters,  wlio 
lived  in  the  same  street,  and  were  next-door  neigh- 
bours. Every  one  wondered  at  the  widow  for  setting 
her  boys  to  work  whilst  they  were  still  so  young,  and 
everybody  laughed  at  her  as  well  ;  for,  as  these  wise 
people  said ;  "  Who  ever  heard  of  prenticing  boys  of 
six  ? " 


r/rsv's  SILVER  bell.  121 

But  thouj^h  they  were  very  young,  the  widow's  boys 
were  quick;  and  before  the  first  year  of  their  appren- 
ticesiiip  was  out,  Dick  liad  made  a  little  coat  about  the 
size  of  n-.y  hand,  and  Jack  and  Bill  a  pair  of  shoes 
and  a  saddle  to  match.  The  widow  was  so  pleased, 
and  so  proud  as  well,  of  this  coat,  pair  of  shoes,  and 
saddle,  that  she  hunj  them  up  in  her  window  so  that 
every  one  who  went  by  might  see  them.  Many 
people  stopped  to  look  at  them,  they  were  so  pretty  ; 
but  every  one  agreed  that  the  coat  and  the  pair  of 
shoes  would  fit  none  but  fairies,  and  that  none  save 
a  'fairy  horse  could  ever  wear  that  saddle.  Even 
the  masters  of  the  boys  grumbled  so  at  these  little 
things,  saying  they  were  only  nonsense,  that  the 
widow  took  them  down  and  hid  them  away  out  of 
sight. 

The  day  that  she  put  them  by  was  a  half  holiday, 
and  the  three  brothers  spent  it  at  home.  They  made 
a  large  kite,  and  asked  their  mother  if  they  might 
not  go  and  let  it  fly  in  some  fields  just  beyond  their 
house.  She  said  they  might,  provided  they  did  not 
attempt  to  enter  the  forest.  That  forest  had  a  bad 
name  in  the    town,  and    these  boys  were  afraid  of  it. 


122  TIPSY' S  SILVER  BELL. 

They  promised  not  to  go  near  it,  and  went  off  to  fly 
their  kite.  At  first  it  would  not  rise,  because  there 
was  no  wind  at  all;  but  presently  there  came  a  strong 
breeze,  and  the  kite  went  up,  up,  till  all  of  a  sudden 
the  breeze  became  a  gale,  which  snapped  the  cord 
out  of  the  hand  of  Bill,  who  held  it.  Away  flew  the 
kite,  and  away  ran  the  three  brothers  after  it.  The 
kite,  however,  rose  higher  and  higher,  until  at  length 
it  entered  the  forest ;  and  before  the  bo\-s  had  thought 
about  it,  they  were  in  it  too. 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  said  Dick,  "  we  had  promised  mother 
not  to  do  it." 

"  We  did  not  mean  it,"  said  Jack. 

"Yes,"  said  Bill;  "and  since  we  are  in,  and  are  sure 
to  be  scolded,  let  us  get  the  kite  if  we  can."  So  they 
followed  the  kite,  which  went  sailing  along  between 
the  trees,  till  it  got  caught  in  the  topmost  bough  of 
an  old  oak  that  grew  close  to  a  large  pool  of  water. 
There  was  no  getting  at  the  kite  there,  and  the 
forest  looked  so  dark  and  wild  that  the  three  brothers, 
who  felt  afraid,  were  thinking  of  going  home  at  once, 
when  they  heard  the  sound  of  a  little  bell  in  the  dis- 
tance.    It  came  nearer  and  nearer,  and  presently  they 


77.^^  y  'S  SIL  VEK  BELL.  123 

saw  ruimin;:^  towards  them  a  little  gre\'hound  white 
as  milk,  and  who  was  the  most  beautiful  creature 
they  had  ever  set  their  e\-es  on.  Me  wore  a  gold 
collar  round  his  neck,  and  fastened  to  the  collar  was 
a  silver  bell,  which  made  the  sweetest  music  in  the 
world.  It  tinkled  as  he  ran  ;  and  the  day,  which  had 
been  so  black  and  stormy,  became  all  bright  with 
sunshine ;  the  whole  forest  was  lit  up  and  looked 
green  and  gold  ;  every  bird  began  to  sing  ;  and,  what 
was  more  wonderful,  all  the  creatures  of  the  forest 
began  to  talk,  and  the  three  brothers  understood  what 
they  said. 

"  Is  that  Tipsy  going  by  ?"  asked  the  little  Squirrel, 
who  was  perched  on  a  bough  cracking  his  nuts 
there. 

The  Rabbit,  putting  his  head  out  of  his  warren, 
replied: 

"  It  is  Tipsy ;  don't  you  know  him  by  his  silver 
bell.>" 

"  Ha,  ha  !  "  laughed  the  Fox.  "  Tipsy's  silver  bell 
is  loose  ;  he  will  drop  it  presently." 

"Dear  me!"  cried  the  Magpie;  "what  will  Fairy 
Prince   do   then?     He  will  not    be    able  to  get  home 


124  TIPSY'S  SIZVER  BELL, 

to-night,  and  the  .Queen  will  be  so  angry;  and,  you 
know,  he  can  never  find  the  bell  himself." 

"Never  mind,"  said  the  Lizard;  "Dick,  Jack,  and 
Bill  will  tell  him  all  about  it." 

"As  to  that,"  said  the  Hare,  running  by,  "I  could 
tell  Fairy  Prince." 

But  all  of  a  sudden  the  silver  bell  ceased  to  tinkle, 
the  forest  became  dark  again,  the  birds  left  ofT  sing- 
ing and  the  creatures  talking,  and  all  was  just  as 
it  had  been  before.  Presently  tramp,  tramp,  and  a 
handsome  gentleman  in  green  and  gold  came  riding 
b\-.  He  looked  in  a  great  hurry,  and  was  all  but 
breathless. 

"  Boys,"  said  he,  "  have  you  seen  my  greyhound  ? 
He  is  white  as  milk,  and  he  wears  a  gold  collar  with 
a  silver  bell  to  it." 

"  He  has  just  gone  by,"  answered  Dick. 

"  He  took  that  road,"  said  Jack. 

"  And  his  silver  bell  is  under  that  hawthorn  bush," 
said  Bill,  who  saw  it  shining  in  the  grass. 

The  Fair}'  Prince  stooped  and  picked  up  the  silver 
bell.  The  monient  it  tinkled  the  forest  lit  up  again, 
the  birds  sang-  and  the  creatures  talked,  and  the  beau- 


T/rSV'S  SILVER  BELL.  12$ 

tiful  greyhound,  who  had  vanished,  came  ninnln;^^  back 
to  his  master,  who  fastened  the  bell  to  liis  gold  collar 
once  more. 

"And  now,  boys,"  said  he,  turning  to  the  three 
brothers,  "tell  me  what  gift  you  would  like  to  have 
and  you  shall  get  it  ;  for  I  am  Fairy  Prince,  and  this 
is  my  dog,  Tipsy." 

"  I  should  like  to  make  such  a  handsome  little  blue 
velvet  coat,  that  the  like  of  it  had  never  been  seen," 
said  Dick. 

"  And  I  the  most  beautiful  pair  of  little  red  boots," 
said  Jack. 

"And  I  the  prettiest  little  yellow  saddle,"  said 
Bill. 

They  all  spoke  in  a  breath,  without  taking  time  to 
think,  and  when  they  had  said  their  sa\',  all  the 
creatures  in  the  forest — the  Squirrel,  the  Rabbit,  the 
Fox,  the  Magpie,  the  Lizard,  and  the  Hare,  burst  out 
laughing,  and  said,  "Oh!  you  silly,  silly  boys,  is  that 
all  you  ask  from  Fairy  Prince  }  " 

"  Never  mind,  boys,"  said  Fairy  Prince  very  kindly, 
*'it  is  a  good  wish,  and  you  shall  have  it;  but  if  you 
want  me   again,  come  here,  take   a  pebble,  and  just 


1 26  TIPS  Y  'S  S/L  VER  BELL. 

throw  it  into  the  water  of  that  pool ;  and  now  good-bye 
to  you  for  the  present." 

He  rode  round  the  hawthorn  bush  with  his  dog 
Tipsy.  The  boys  lieard  a  h'ttle  plash  in  the  water, 
and  not  a  sign  of  Fairy  Prince,  of  his  horse,  or  his  dog 
was  left  after  that,  and  the  moment  the  bell  ceased  to 
tinkle  the  day  became  dark,  and  the  forest  was  as  it 
had  been  before. 

The  three  brothers,  who  felt  rather  frightened,  got 
out  of  the  forest  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  after 
agreeing  not  to  tell  their  mother  what  had  happened 
to  them,  they  went  straiglit  home. 

The  widow  always  sent  her  boys  up  to  bed  in  the 
dark,  for  fear  of  fire ;  but  when  they  went  up  that 
evening  to  the  garret  where  they  slept  all  in  one  bed, 
they  found  a  bright  light  burning  in  a  little  lantern, 
and  they  saw  on  the  bed  a  piece  of  blue  velvet,  a  red 
morocco  skin,  and  yellow  leather,  with  gold  thread, 
and  lace,  and  needles,  scissors,  and  an  awl,  and  a  last, 
and  everything  in  short  which  they  needed  to  make  a 
coat,  a  pair  of  boots,  and  a  saddle.  They  saw  that 
Fairy  Prince  had  not  merely  sent  those  things  there, 
but  that  he  meant  them  to  set  to  work  at  once,  and 


TIFSY'S  SILVER  BELL.  127 

SO  tlicy  did,  and  sat  up  all  ni;^ht,  and  never  left  ofT 
till  each  had  finished  liis  task,  and  Dick  had  made 
the  loveliest  blue  velvet  coat,  all  laced  and  em- 
broidered, and  Jack  the  most  beautiful  little  red  boots, 
stitched  with  gold  thread,  and  Bill  the  handsomest 
little  yellow  saddle  that  .had  ever  been  seen.  The 
brothers  were  so  pleased  with  their  work  that  they 
all  three  said,  "  We  must  show  it  to  mother,  and 
tell  her  how  we  met  Fairy  Prince  and  Tipsy  in  the 
forest." 

But  when  they  went  down,  they  found  that  the 
widow  had  gone  to  the  well  for  water,  and  as  they 
were  rather  late,  they  went  off  to  work  without  waiting 
for  her. 

When  the  tailor  saw  the  little  blue  velvet  coat 
which  Dick  had  made,  he  was  both  amazed  and  de- 
lighted :  the  shoemaker  went  into  raptures  over  Jack's 
pair  of  little  red  boots,  and  the  saddler  shook  hands 
with  Bill,  said  he  was  proud  of  him,  and  that  there 
had  never  been  anything  like  the  little  yellow  saddle. 
Indeed  the  tailor,  the  shoemaker,  and  the  saddler 
thought  so  much  of  the  work  of  their  little  prentices, 
that  without  having  said  a  word  to  one  another,  they 


1 28  TIPS  Y  'S  S/L I  'ER  BELL, 

sent  the  coat,  the  pair  of  boots,  and  the  saddle  to  the 
palace,  each  making  sure  that  the  Queen  would  buy 
them,  and  that  his  fortune  was  made. 

"  Dear  me,  what  pretty  Httle  things  !"  said  the 
Queen.  "  I  nev^er  did  see  anything-  so  pretty  ;  but 
they  are  so  Httle  that  I  really  can  do  nothing  with 
them.  Take  them  back  to  the  tailor,  the  shoemaker, 
and  the  saddler,  and  say  that  I  don't  want  them." 

When  the  little  Princess  heard  this  she  began  to  cry. 
"I  want  the  little  coat,  the  h'ttle  boots,  and  the  little 
saddle,"  she  said ;  "  I  want  them  for  Puss  and  my 
little  wooden  horse." 

"  Then,  my  dear,  you  shall  have  them,"  said  the 
Queen.  She  had  only  this  one  child,  who  was  a 
cripple,  and  could  neither  walk,  nor  sit  up,  nor  do 
anything  but  play  with  her  cat  all  the  day  long.  The 
most  famous  doctors  had  not  been  able  to  cure  her, 
or  do  her  any  good,  and  the  Queen,  who  loved  her 
beyond  anything  else  in  this  world,  always  let  her 
have  her  way,  and  gave  her  ever\'thing  she  asked  for. 

When  the  little  Princess  heard  that  she  was  to  have 
the  coat,  the  pair  of  boots,  and  the  saddle,  she  left 
off  crying,  and  called  her  cat 


77 rsY's  sirrf.R  bell.  129 

"  Come  here,  Puss,"  said  she,  "  and  put  on  that 
coat." 

Puss  came,  the  little  Princess  put  the  coat  upon  him, 
and  at  once  he  sat  up  as  straight  as  an  arrow. 

"  Puss,  hold  out  }-our  left  hind  paw,"  said  the  little- 
Princess. 

Puss  held  out  his  left  hind  paw,  and  his  little 
mistress  put  one  of  the  red  boots  on  him,  and  it  fitted 
beautifully. 

"  And  now  let  me  have  the  other  paw."  said  the 
little  Princess. 

Puss  held  out  his  right  hind  paw,  and  as  soon  as 
the  boot  was  on,  he  began  to  dance  on  the  carpet  so 
prettily  that  there  never  had  been  anything  like  it. 

"  Would  you  like  a  ride,  Puss .' "  said  the  little 
Princess,  fitting  the  }-ellow  saddle  on  the  back  of  her 
wooden  horse,  who,  the  moment  it  was  on  him,  began 
racing  round  the  room.  When  Puss  saw  that,  he 
leaped  up  on  his  back  and  rode  him,  and  the  two, 
the  cat  and  the  wooden  horse,  galloped  round  and 
round  till  the  little  Princess  clapped  her  hands,  she 
was  so  glad,  and  the  Queen  laughed  so  that  the  tears 

ran    down  her  cheeks;    she  was    laughing   still,   when 

I 


I30  TJFSY'S  SILVER  BELL. 

an  old  lady,  who  was  also  very  wise,  came  into  the 
room. 

"Ah!  what  a  pity,"  said  she,  when  she  saw  what 
was  going  on ;  "  if  \-our  Majesty  had  only  put  that 
coat  on  the  Princess,  and  these  boots  on  her  feet, 
they  would  have  fitted  her,  and  she  would  have  been 
well  at  once.  As  to  the  saddle,  the  worst  horse  that 
ever  was  would  have  become  the  best  in  the  world 
if  he  had  only  had  it  on  his  back ;  and  now  they 
will  never  fit  any  one  but  the  cat  and  the  wooden 
horse." 

"  I  wish  I  had  known  that,"  said  the  Queen.  -"Tell 
the  tailor,  the  shoemaker,  and  the  saddler  to  make  me 
another  coat,  pair  of  boots,  and  saddle  directly.  The 
coat  and  the  boots  will  be  for  the  Princess,  and  as  to 
the  saddle,  we  will  try  what  it  will  do  for  Dobbin,  who 
has  been  worth  nothing  for  ever  so  long." 

The  masters  of  the  three  boys  were  delighted  when 
the  orders  came  from  the  palace,  and  they  set  their 
prentices  to  work  at  once.  Dick,  Jack,  and  Bill  asked 
no  better,  they  made  sure  that  what  they  had  done 
once  they  could  do  again,  and  they  cut  up  the  velvet 
and   leather  which  their  masters  found    them  without 


TIPS  Y  'S  SIL  VER  BELL.  131 

a  bit  of  fear ;  but  someliow  or  other  the  coat,  tlic 
boots,  and  the  saddle  they  made  now  were  not  at  all 
like  those  they  had  made  in  the  night,  and  they  were 
so  slow  about  them  too  that  the  Queen  sent  three 
times  to  know  if  she  ever  was  to  get  these  things. 
The  masters  declared,  all  three,  that  the  boys  were 
lazy,  and  sending  word  to  the  widow  that  she  was 
not  to  be  uneasy  about  her  children,  they  kept  them 
and  made  them  sit  up  all  night.  The  boys  worked 
very  hard  indeed,  and  at  length  the  coat,  the  pair  of 
boots,  and  the  saddle  were  finished  by  the  morning, 
and  taken  to  the  Queen,  by  the  tailor,  the  shoemaker, 
and  the  saddler. 

But  none  of  them  would  do.  The  Princess  could 
not  get  her  arm  in  the  sleeve  of  the  coat,  nor  her 
feet  in  the  boots,  and  the  saddle  could  never  be 
strapped  to  Dobbin's  back. 

"Take  the  trashy  things  away,"  said  the  Queen,  in 
a  rage,  "  and  let  me  hav£  a  coat,  a  pair  of  boots,  and 
a  saddle  like  the  first,  or  I  shall  make  }'ou  repent 
it." 

The  three  masters  said  never  a  word,  they  were  so 
frightened ;  but   each,  when   he  got  home,   threatened 


132  TIPS  Y  'S  S/L  VER  BELL. 

his  prentice  to  keep  him  on  bread  and  water  until  \\i 
had  done  the  Queen's  bidding.  The  boys  did  their 
best,  but  try  as  hard  as  they  could,  they  onl\'  spoiled 
cloth  and  leather.  Upon  this  the  masters  put  their 
heads  together,  and  after  declaring  that  their  pren- 
tices had  never  made  the  coat,  the  boots,  and  the 
saddle  which  had  taken  the  Queen's  fancy,  they  agreed 
to  lock  them  up,  and  not  give  them  a  bit  to  eat  till 
they  had  confessed  the  truth,  and  said  who  had  made 
them. 

Now  this  took  place  in  the  tailor's  house,  and  Dick, 
who  had  overheard  every  word,  slipped  out,  and  went 
and  told  his  brothers. 

"  What  shall  we  do  }  "  said  Jack. 

"  Go  to  the  forest  and  tell  Fairy  Prince,"  said  Bill. 

Off  to  the  forest  they  went.  When  they  came  to 
the  pool,  they  none  of  them  wanted  to  throw  the 
pebble  in.  Dick  said  he  was  sure  his  mother  would 
not  like  it;  Jack  said  he  was  afraid;  and  Bill  said  he 
would  not.  At  length  they  agreed  that  each  should 
take  up  a  pebble,  shut  his  eyes,  and  throw  it  in  at 
the  same  time  with  the  other  two.  So  said,  so  done  ; 
rach  took   up   a   pebble,  shut   his  eyes,  and  threw  the 


TirS } ■  V9  SIL  VEK  BELL.  1 33 

pebble  in,  and  tlie  vcr\-  iiionicnt  tlie  pebbles  plashed 
into  the  water  tiie  bo\s  heard  tiie  little  silver  bell. 
Thc\-  opened  their  eyes,  and  there  was  the  forest,  all 
lit  up  so  beautifuU}',  the  birds  sin<jiny^,  the  creatures 
talking,  and  Tipsy  going  by,  and  Fairy  Prince  riding 
after  him. 

"  Well,  boys,"  said  he,  "  what  do  you  want  ?  " 

The  three  brothers  told  him  their  trouble,  and  asked 
to  make  another  coat  and  saddle,  and  another  pair 
of  boots,  like  the  first. 

On  hearing  this,  all  the  creatures  in  the  forest  burst 
out  laughing,  and  cried  out  in  a  breath: 

"Oh,  you  silly,  silly  boys,  is  that  all  you  ask  from 
Fairy  Prince.?" 

"Never  mind,  boys,"  said  Fairy  Prince  kindly,  "you 
shall  have  your  wish,  and  I  dare  say  you  will  know 
better  another  time." 

So  saying  he  rode  away,  with  Tipsy  before  him ; 
and  the  moment  Tipsy 's  silver  bell  left  off  tinkling, 
the  forest  became  dull  and  silent  again. 

The  three  brothers  went  home  very  well  pleased, 
"for  now,"  said  they,  "we  shall  get  out  of  trouble;" 
and  so  they  did  after  a  fashion.     They  made  such    a 


134  TIPSY' S  SILVER  BELL. 

coat,  such  a  pair  of  boots,  and  such  a  saddle,  that 
the  first  were  nothing  to  them  ;  and  the  best  of  it 
was,  that  the  moment  the  httle  Princess  put  on  the 
little  coat  she  sat  up,  and  was  as  straight  as  straight 
could  be ;  and  that  as  soon  as  the  boots  were  on  her 
legs,  she  jumped  down  on  the  floor  and  began  to 
dance,  so  that  all  the  courtiers  declared  there  had 
never  been  anything  like  it.  The  next  thing  she  did 
was  to  ride  Dobbin,  whom  the  saddle  fitted  beauti- 
fully, and  who,  from  a  little  vicious  brute,  became  the 
best  and  liveliest  pony  that  had  ever  been  seen. 

The  Queen  was  delighted,  and  wanted  to  make  the 
tailor  her  prime  minister,  the  shoemaker  her  lord 
chancellor,  and  the  saddler  commander  in-chief  of  all 
her  armies ;  but,  on  second  thoughts,  she  resolved  not 
to  do  so  till  they  had  made  her  another  coat,  saddle, 
and  pair  of  boots,  for  fear  anything  should  happen 
to  the  first.  And  now  the  troubles  of  Dick,  Jack, 
and  Bill  all  began  over  again.  They  had  only  asked 
for  the  gift  of  making  once  these  things  which  the 
Queen  wanted,  and  when  they  attempted  them  again 
they  were  just  as  unsuccessful  as  they  had  been  be- 
fore.    They  did  not  wait,  however,   for  their  masters 


TIPSY'S  SILVER  BELL.  13S 

to  starv^e  or  lock  them  up  tliis  time,  but  went  off  to 
the  forest  at  once,  in  order  to  ask  Fairy  Prince  to 
get  them  out  of  trouble  again.  When  they  came  to 
the  pool  they  picked  up  three  pebbles,  and  threw 
them  in  without  shutting  their  eyes,  for  they  were  not 
friL;htcned  now;  but  though  the  pebbles  went  in  with 
a  plash,  there  was  no  tinkling  of  the  silver  bell,  no 
Tipsy,  and  no  Fairy  Prince  riding  by;  but  instead 
of  these,  a  sound  of  voices,  coming  nearer  and  nearer, 
and  calling  them  by  tlieir  names. 

"  I  am  sure  that  is  my  master's  voice,"  said  Dick. 

"Let  us  throw  stones  in  again,"  said  Bill,  who  also 
heard  the  saddler. 

And  Jack,  who  was  sure  that  he  heard  the  shoe- 
maker put  in  his  word,  said,  "Let  us  throw  bigger 
stones  this  time." 

So  they  picked  up  the  largest  stones  they  could  find, 
and  threw  them  in  with  a  great  noise,  hoping  that  Fairy 
Prince  would  hear  and  come  to  them.  But  no  Fairy 
Prince  appeared,  and  instead  of  him  they  saw  the  tailor, 
the  shoemaker,  and  the  saddler  coming  up  panting,  for 
they  had  run  after  their  prentices  all  the  way  from 
town,  and  being  fat  men,  they  were  very  much  out  of 


r  36  TIFS  Y  'S  SIL  VER  BELL. 

breath.  When  the  three  masters  saw  the  bo\-s,  they 
raised  a  shout  of  triumph,  and  cried  out  to  one 
another  : 

"I  see  them;"  ''Here  they  are;"  ''Now  we  have 
them  ; "  "  Hurrah  !  hurrah  !  " 

They  rushed  on,  striving  Vv^ho  should  be  first. 

"  Take  my  hand,'  said  Dick  to  Jack. 

"  Take  my  hand,"  said  Jack  to  Bill. 

The  tailor,  the  shoemaker,  and  the  saddler  came 
on,  waving  their  caps,  and  still  crying  "  Hurrah  \  "  and 
Dick,  Jack,  and  Bill  jumped  straight  into  the  water, 
and  were  seen  no  more. 

The  three  masters  stood  and  stared  at  each  other. 
Then  they  called  to  the  boys,  asking  them  to  come  out, 
and  promising  not  to  starve  or  beat  or  ill-use  them  in 
any  fashion  ;  but  either  Dick,  Jack,  or  Bill  did  not  trust 
them,  or  they  could  not  get  out  of  the  pool  as  easily  as 
they  had  got  into  it,  for  they  did  not  appear,  and  after 
agreeing  never  to  tell  any  one  what  had  happened, 
the  tailor,  the  shoemaker,  and  the  saddler  went  back 
to  town  vcr\'  much  crestfallen. 

When  the  Queen  found  they  could  not  make  her 
the   things   she    wanted    from    them,   she   said    it    was 


TJrSi'S  SIIA'EK  BELL.  137 

because  they  were  stubborn  and  laz\',  and  she  sent 
tlicni  to  prison  to  be  kept  there  on  bread  and  water 
till  the\-  sliou'.d  obey  her.  As  thc\-  were  unable  to 
do  that,  they  might  have  spent  the  rest  of  their  dajs 
in  jail,  if  the  Queen  had  not  died,  and  the  little  Prin- 
cess let  them  out  on  the  day  of  her  coronation. 

When  the  widow  learned  that  her  boys  had  run 
awa>',  and  that  no  one  knew  what  had  become  of 
them,  she  was  so  unhappy  that  there  is  no  telling 
of  it.  She  went  about  looking  for  them  everywhere, 
and  asking  all  the  people  she  met  if  they  had  seen 
Dick,  Jack,  or  Bill ;  but  no  one  could  give  her  any 
tidings  of  them,  though  she  went  to'  many  strange 
countries,  and  questioned  all  the  wisest  people  in  the 
world.  At  length,  after  wandering  about  several 
)ears,  she  found  a  little  wise  old  man,  who  said  to 
her: 

"  Go  home  and  look  for  your  boys  within  a  mile 
of  your  own  house." 

Though  the  widow  was  as  tired  as  could  be,  this 
comforted  her  greatU-,  and  she  went  home  as  fast  as 
she  could.  Her  way  lay  through  the  forest,  but  as 
she  was   afraid    of  it,  she  was   going  to  walk    round. 


138  TIFSY'S  SILVER  BELL. 

when  she  met  a  pretty  Httle  old  woman,  who  said 
to  her,  "  Better  go  through  the  forest  if  you  want  to  see 
your  boys  again." 

The  widow's  fear  all  vanished  as  she  heard  this. 
She  went  into  the  forest  at  once,  and  walked  up  and 
down  the  whole  day  long,  but  not  a  soul  did  she  see, 
nor  a  sign  of  her  boys  did  she  find.  At  length,  being 
fairly  tired  out,  she  sat  down  by  the  side  of  the  pool  to 
rest  a  while  before  going  home.  She  had  not  been 
sitting  there  long  when  there  came  up  a  little  boy  with 
a  rod  and  basket.  He  took  no  notice  of  the  widow, 
but  began  to  fish.  He  was  a  very  handsome  boy,  and 
looking  at  him,  the  widow  was  reminded  of  her  own 
children,  and  could  not  help  crying. 

"  What  ails  you  .'' "  said  the  little  boy. 

The  widow  told  him  how  she  had  lost  her  boys  and 
was  seeking  for  them,  but  could  not  find  them  nor  learn 
where  they  were. 

"  They  are  serving  their  apprenticeship  in  Fairy- 
land," said  the  little  boy,  when  he  had  heard  her  out ; 
"  and  they  will  never  be  able  to  get  away  out  of  it 
unless  they  find  Tipsy's  silver  bell." 

On  hearing  this  the  widow  cried  more  bitterlv  than 


TJFSy  'S  SILVER  BELL. 

139 

ever,  and 

said 

now  she  know- 

that  she  £ 

hould 

never 

see 

her  boys 

again 

"You  can  see  them,"  said  the  httlc  boy,  "  if  you  will 
do  what  I  tell  you." 

"  And  what  is  that  ?"  asked  the  widow. 

"  You  must  take  my  hand  and  shut  your  eyes, 
and  not  open  them  till  I  bid  }-ou.  Then  whom- 
soever or  whatever  you  see,  you  must  not  say  one 
word." 

The  widow  promised  to  do  as  he  bade  her.  The  little 
boy  took  her  hand,  she  shut  her  e\es,  and  plash !  they 
both  went  into  the  water  ;  but  the  widow  was  so 
frightened  at  this  that  she  opened  her  eyes  at  once. 
In  a  moment  the  httle  boy  was  gone,  and  she  was 
sitting  alone  by  the  side  of  the  pool. 

She  stayed  till  nightfall,  hoping  he  would  come  back, 
but  he  did  not.  She  went  home  at  last,  but  early  the 
next  day  she  was  in  the  forest  again,  seeking  up  and 
down  for  a  token  of  her  boys.  She  found  none,  and 
when  she  was  so  tired  out  that  she  could  not  walk  a  step 
further,  she  sat  down  by  the  side  of  the  pool  to  rest. 
Presently  the  pretty  little  boy  came  with  his  rod  and 
basket,  and  began  to  fish.      He  took  no  notice  of  the 


I40  TJFSY'S  SILVER  BELL. 

widow,  and  it  was  just  as  if  he  had  never  seen  her 
before.  Seeing  this,  and  also  thinking  of  her  boys,  the 
poor  woman  began  to  cry.  The  httle  boy  at  first  did 
not  mind  her,  but  at  length  he  asked  what  ailed  her, 
and  when  she  told  him,  he  promised  to  let  her  see  her 
boys,  provided  she  did  not  open  her  e}'es  till  he  bade 
her,  and  did  not  utter  a  word,  good  or  bad.  The  widow 
promised  everything,  and  this  time  she  kept  her  word  ; 
for  though  when  he  took  her  hand  and  jumped  with  her 
into  the  water  she  heard  it  plash  over  her  head,  she 
never  opened  her  eyes  till  the  little  boy  said  to  her, — 
"  Look  now,  and  mind  what  I  told  you." 
The  widow  looked  as  he  bade  her,  and  she  found 
that  she  was  standing  outside  a  window,  and  that  she 
could  see  through  the  glass  in  the  room  within.  Her 
three  boys  were  sitting  there  together,  very  busy 
working.  They  were  fresh  and  rosy,  but  did  not 
look  a  day  older  than  when  they  left  her.  Dick  was 
making  a  tiny  coat  of  scarlet  clo'th,  laced  with  gold ; 
Jack  was  finishing  a  little  high-heeled  shoe  of  white 
satin,  the  other  stood  made  on  the  table  by  him  ;  and 
Bill  was  stitching  a  little  buff  saddle,  so  very  small  that 
the  widow  wondered  for  what  horse  it  could  be  meant. 


TjPS  Y  'S  SIL  VKR  BELL.  1 4 1 

Presently  a  door  opened  and  a  little  L,^entlenian  strutted 
in.  lie  went  up  to  Dick,  and  seemed  to  be  sayinfif  : 
"Well.  sir.  is  that  coat  ready?"  Upon  which  Dick- 
rose  and  tried  the  coat  on  him,  and  the  widow  saw  that 
it  fitted  beautifully.  Then  another  door  opened,  and  a 
little  lady  with  a  long  train  came  sweeping  in.  She 
went  up  to  Jark.  and  he  showed  her  the  shoe.  She  sat 
down  at  once,  and  he  put  the  shoe  on  her  foot,  and 
worked  hard  away  at  the  other  one.  Then  the  little 
lady  and  the  little  gentleman  got  into  conversation,  but 
he  was  looking  at  his  coat  in  a  glass  all  the  time,  and 
the  lady  was  peeping  down  at  her  foot.  But  this  was 
not  all.  Bill,  having  finished  his  saddle,  got  up  and 
went  out  of  the  room.  He  left  the  door  open,  and  his 
mother  could  see  a  little  groom  holding  a  little  horse 
outside.  The  horse,  though  small,  was  very  beautiful. 
lie  was  cream-coloured,  and  had  a  flowing  mane  and  a 
long  tail  ;  but  he  was  also  a  spirited  thorough-bred 
horse,  and  he  tossed  his  head  and  pawed  so  that  the 
groom  could  scarcely  hold  him.  When  Bill  approached 
and  tried  to  put  the  saddle  on  his  back,  the  horse 
reared  and  plunged  so  that  the  widow  cried  out :  "  Take 
care.  Bill!" 


142  tjfsy's  silver  bell. 

No  sooner  were  the  words  spoken  than  all  vanished, 
and  she  found  herself  once  more  sitting  by  the  edge 
of  the  pool  in  the  forest.  She  waited  a  long  time, 
hoping  the  little  boy  would  come  again  to  take  her 
back  to  Fairyland  to  have  another  look  at  her  chil- 
dren ;  but  he  did  not ;  and  though  she  came  day  after 
day  to  the  forest,  and  sat  by  the  edge  of  the  pool, 
she  never  saw  him  again. 

The  three  brothers  often  thought  of  their  mother, 
and  wished  to  see  her,  but  they  were  very  happy 
with  the  fairies  who  made  ever  so  much  of  them. 
They  had  been  seven  years  in  Fairyland,  when  Fair\- 
Prince  got  married,  and  there  were  great  rejoicings 
in  the  palace.  There  was  a  grand  dinner  to  which 
Dick,  Jack,  and  Bill  were  invited,  and  after  dinner  a 
grand  ball,  which  was  one  of  the  finest  things  that 
had  ever  been  seen.  The  boys  could  not  dance  with 
the  fairies,  who  were  of  the  small  species,  for  fear 
of  treading  upon  them.  They  could  only  look  on,  and 
after  a  while  Dick  and  Jack  got  tired  of  it,  and  went 
down  to  the  garden  to  listen  to  the  Queen's  talking 
bird,  but  Bill  stayed  in  the  ball-room  to  see  the 
bridegroom  valse   with   the    bride ;    for   though    Fairy 


TirSY'S  SILVER  BELL.  i<3 

Piince  looked  such  a  handsome  gentleman  when  he 
was  up  in  the  world,  he  was  as  little  as  the  other 
fairies  once  he  was  below. 

The  talking  bird  perched  on  a  tree  at  the  end  of 
tlie  garden,  and  Tipsy  watched  every  night  at  the 
foot  of  the  tree  lest  any  one  should  come  and  steal 
him.  Dick  and  Jack  now  saw  the  dog  there  in  the 
moonlight,  but  they  also  saw  that  he  had  dropped  his 
silver  bell,  and  that  it  lay  in  the  grass  beside  him. 

"  That  is  Tipsy's  silver  bell,"  said  Dick  to  Jack. 

"Yes,"  answered  the  talking  bird  on  the  tree,  "and 
if  \-ou  take  and  tinkle  it,  you  will  find  yourself  in  the 
place  you  came  from  ;  and  you  need  only  tinkle  it  when- 
ever you  wish  to  come  back  again  to  Fairyland." 

When  the  boys  heard  this  they  took  each  other 
by  the  hand.  Dick  picked  up  the  little  silver  bell,  and 
the  moment  it  tinkled  away  they  were  out  of  Fairy- 
land in  the  forest  by  the  edge  of  the  pool.  Though  it 
was  night  they  made  their  way  to  their  mother's 
house  and  knocked  at  the  door,  and  when  she  heard 
their  voices,  she  got  up  and  let  them  in,  and  kissed 
them  again  and  again,  and  cried  for  joy.  Indeed  she 
would  have  been,  quite  happy  now  if  it  were  not  that 


I U  TIPS Y'S  SIL VER  BELL. 

Bill  had  remained  in  Fairyland.  Dick  and  Jack  offered 
to  go  and  look  for  him,  but  their  mother  was  too 
much  afraid  of  losing  them  again,  and  taking  away 
the  little  silver  bell,  she  hid  it  where  they  could  not 
find  it.  Although  Dick  and  Jack  had  been  seven 
}'ears  away,  the\'  were  no  bigger,  and  looked  no 
older  than  on  the  day  when  they  ran  awa\'  to  the 
forest  ;  but  each  had  learned  his  trade  with  the  fairies, 
and  could  work  beautifully.  Dick  made  the  prettiest 
little  clothes,  and  Jack  the  prettiest  little  boots  and 
shoes  in  the  world,  and  though  these  things  which 
the}'  made  were  only  fit  for  children,  }'et  the}-  had 
this  advantage,  that  if  the  child  who  put  them  on 
were  deformed,  or  a  cripple,  it  became  well  at  once. 
Their  work  was  accordingly  much  sought  after,  and 
fetched  so  high  a  price  that  they  earned  a  great 
deal  of  money  and  made  their  mother  ver}'  happy 
and  comfortable.  There  was  only  one  drawback  to 
all  this:  they  remained  little  bays  v.-ith  round  faces, 
rosy  cheeks,  and  curly  hair,  whilst  the  boys  whom 
they  had  known  before  they  went  to  Fairyland,  be- 
came young  men,  and  got  married,  and  had  families 
of  their    own.       The    people    who   wanted    them   were 


IIPSY'S  SILVER  BELL.  145 

always  jii>t  as  civil  as  if  they  had  been  big  men  with 
scrubby  beards,  but  those  who  did  not,  jeered  at  and 
laughed  at  them  till  they  were  half  sick  of  their  lives, 
and  wished  themselves  back  again  in  Fairyland. 
Tiieir  mother,  howe\'er,  was  just  as  kind  to  them  as 
ever,  and  washed,  and  combed,  ami  dressed  them 
as  if  they  had  been  little  children  still.  She  never 
seemed  to  understand  that  they  ought  to  be  grown- 
up men.  She  liked  them  as  they  were,  and  had 
only  one  trouble,  that  their  brother  Bill  had  not 
come  back  with  them. 

"  Give  us  the  little  silver  bell,  mother,"  said  Dick, 
"  and  let  us  all  go  off  to  Fairyland  and  find  him." 

But  the  widow  said  she  was  too  old  to  go  to  Fairy- 
land at  her  time  of  life,  but  that  they  might  do  as 
they  pleased  when  she  was  dead.  She  lived  for  seven 
years  after  their  coming  back,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  she  died.  Dick  and  Jack  found  the  little  silver 
bell  round  her  neck  and  took  it  off.  When  she  was 
buried  they  shut  up  the  house  and  went  to  the  forest. 
The  moment  the\'  tinkled  the  bell  they  were  off  tw 
Fairyland,   and  there   they  are  to   this  day  with   their 

brother  Bill  working  for  the  fairies. 

K 


14^ 


T/PSV'S  SILVER  BELL. 


The  people  who  had  laughed  at  them  for  remaining 
little  boys  were  very  sorry  when  they  were  gone,  for 
no  one  ever  made  such  pretty  and  useful  little  coats 
and  shoes  as  theirs  had  been. 


/  ^l5V"'^^V^  ITTLE  Prince  Doran  was  sev^en  years 
with  his  nurse  ;  he  was  rocked  seven  years 
more,  and  after  that  he  slept  seven  years.  Whilst 
he  was  being  rocked,  his  father  the  Kinij  gave  him  a 
little  black  puppy-dof^  called  Trim,  and  his  mother  the 
Queen  a  little  white  kitten  called  Muff.  Trim  and 
Muff  were  very  fond  of  Doran,  and  slept  with  him,  Muff 
at  his  head,  and  Trim  at  his  feet,  until  he  awoke,  and 
then  they  woke  too. 


148  PRINCE  DO  RAN. 

Prince  Doran  was  now  twent\--one,  and  as  his  father 
had  died  whilst  he  was  sleeping,  his  mother  the  Queen 
said  to  him  :  "  My  dear,  it  is  now  time  that  you  should 
get  married.  The  Princess  Sprightly  is  very  beautiful 
and  very  rich  ;  you  had  better  ask  her  to  be  your  wife." 

"  I  shall  send  an  ambassador  to  ask  her  in  mar- 
riage from  the  King  her  father,"  said  Doran.  And  he 
did  send  the  ambassador  at  once. 

When  Prince  Doran  was  alone  with  Muff  and  Trim, 
and  told  them  what  he  had  done,  Muff  said,  "  The 
Princess  lives  a  long  way  off;  she  will  be  a  long  time 
coming.  Why  should  we  not  go  and  see  the  world  in 
the  meantime  }  " 

"  Muff,"  said  Prince  Doran,  ''you  are  the  wisest  cat  I 
know." 

And  he  went  and  told  his  mother  that  he,  Muff,  and 
Trim,  were  going  to  travel,  and  that  they  would  all  be 
back  by  the  time  the  Princess  arrived. 

"  My  dear  son,"  said  the  Queen,  ")'ou  cannot  leave 
your  kingdom.  You  must  sta\'  and  govern  your  sub- 
jects." 

"  Very  well,"  answered  Doran,  "  I  shall  sta}'." 

That  night  Prince  Doran  told  Muff  and  Trim,  who 


rKLVCE  DOR.iy.  149 

always  slept  wiili  him,  that  he  had  a^^recd  to  remain  at 
home,  in  order  to  govern  his  subjects.  Tiicy  were  both  ^ 
ver\-  angry,  and  Trim  said,  "  Why  should  not  your  cousin 
the  Duke  rule  your  kingdom  whilst  you  are  away  ?  And 
as  to  your  subjects,  they  got  on  without  you  whilst  you 
were  sleeping  ;  can't  they  get  on  witliout  you  whilst  you 
are  travelling  ? " 

"I  declare.  Trim,"  cried  Prince  Doran,  "you  are  a 
wonderful  dog,  and  quite  as  wise  as  Alufif." 

When  Doran  told  the  Queen  that  he  must  go  and 
travel  all  the  same,  and  that  his  cousin  the  Duke  would 
govern  the  kingdom  in  his  stead,  the  Queen,  who  was 
very  wise,  shook  her  head  and  said,  "  My  son,  that  will 
not  do.  Remember  how  long  you  have  been  sleeping, 
and  how  much  time  you  have  lost." 

"Just  so,"  answered  Prince  Doran,  "I  have  slept  so 
long  that  I  mean  to  be  wide  awake  now,  and  I  also 
mean  to  make  up  for  the  time  I  have  lost  by  going 
about." 

All  the  Queen  could  say  could  not  keep  Prince 
Doran,  his  mind  was  so  bent  on  travelling.  So  off 
lie  set  with  Mufif  and  Trim,  and  all  he  took  with  him 
was  a  quilt,  which  he  strapped  to  his  knapsack.     When 


ISO 


PRINCE  DOR  AN, 


Muff  was  tired,  Prince  Doran  carried  him  on  his 
shoulder  ;  when  Trim  was  tired,  Prince  Doran  carried 
him  in  his  arms  ;  and  when  Prince  Doran  himself  was 
tired,  he  rolled  himself  up  in  his  quilt,  with  Muff  at 
his  head  and  Trim  at  his  feet,  and  the  three  had  a 
long  nap. 

Prince  Doran  had  been  gone  a  long  time,  and  he 
had  already  seen  a  great  many  wonderful  things,  when 
his  mother,  the  Queen,  sent  him  a  messenger,  who  came 
all  breathless  with  haste,  to  tell  him  that  the  Princess 
Sprightly  had  arrived,  that  she  was  the  most  beautiful 
Princess  that  had  ever  been  seen,  that  she  had  brought 
with  her  forty  chariots  full  of  gold  and  precious  stones, 
and  that  Prince  Doran  had  better  come  back  at  once 
and  marry  her. 

"You  can't  go  home  yet,"  said  Muff,  who  was 
just  then  sitting  on  his  shoulder,  and  who  had  heard 
every  word  the  messenger  had  said  ;  "  you  know  you 
have  not  seen  the  great  battle  which  is  to  take  place 
between  the  cats  and  mice  next  month.  How  can 
you  ever  fight  your  enemies  if  you  do  not  first  see 
fighting  .'' " 

*' I  am  glad  you  have  thought  of  that,  Muff,"  said 


rK/.\CE  DO  KAN.  151 

tlie  Piincc  ;  ''  I  must  see  the  battle  of  course  before 
I  go  home.  Tell  the  Queen  so,"  said  he  to  the  mes- 
senger; "but  that  as  soon  as  Muff,  Trim,  and  I  have 
seen  a  little  fighting,  I  shall  make  haste  home,  and 
marry  the  Princess." 

The  messenger  went  back  to  the  Queen,  and  Prince 
Doran  went  on  ;  but  he  was  not  in  time  to  see  the 
battle  between  the  cats  and  mice,  for  it  was  just  over 
when  they  arrived,  and  the  cats,  who  had  won  the 
day,  were  bur\-ing  their  dead  and  eating  their  enemies. 
The  Prince  being  too  late  for  this,  was  thinking  of 
going  home  in  earnest,  when  the  Queen  sent  him 
another  messenger,  telling  him  that  the  Princess 
Sprightly  had  been  so  much  affronted  at  his  think- 
ing more  of  seeing  a  battle  fought  between  cats  and 
mice  than  of  coming  back  to  marry  her,  that  she 
had  talked  of  going  away  at  once  with  her  forty 
chariots.  Whereupon  his  cousin  the  Duke,  in  order 
to  a\oid  a  war  with  the  King  her  father,  and  also 
not  to  let  all  her  valuables  leave  the  kingdom,  had 
married  her. 

"Well,  that  is  settled,"  said  Prince  Doran;  "what 
shall  we  do  now  ?  " 


152  PRINCE  DO  RAN. 

"  Let  us  go  and  hear  the  wonderful  bird  who  sings 
only  once  in  a  hundred  years,"  said  Trim. 

"  Yes,"  said  Doran  ;  "  we  can  go  home  after  that." 

The  wonderful  bird  lived  a  long  way  off,  and  when 
they  came  to  the  countr}'  in  which  he  was  to  be  found, 
it  wanted  a  good  bit  yet  to  the  hundred  years. 

"  Since  we  have  conie  so  far,'  said  Prince  Doran, 
"  we  shall  wait  till  it  is  time  for  the  wonderful  bird 
to  sing." 

The  Queen  now  sent  another  message  to  Doran. 
His  subjects  had  got  tired  of  waiting  for  him,  and 
they  had  asked  his  cousin  the  Duke,  who  had  con- 
sented, to  be  King  in  Prince  Doran's  stead.  So  upon 
the  whole  the  Queen  thought  that  Doran  had  better 
not  come  back. 

"  What  can't  be  cured  must  be  endured,"  said  Dor.m  ; 
"  at  least  we  shall  hear  the  wonderful  bird  ;  but  let 
us  take  a  nap  till  the  hundred  years  are  out," 

He  rolled  himself  up  in  his  quilt,  with  Muff  at  his 
head  and  Trim  at  his  feet,  and  the  three  went  to  sleep 
under  a  tree  in  a  forest.  They  slept  so  soundly,  and 
they  slept  so  long,  that,  when  they  woke  up,  the 
wonderful  bird,  who   perched  on  the  tallest  oak  in  the 


FKIXCE  DO  RAN.  T53 

forest,   had   sung   his   song,   and    would    not    sing    now 
for  anotlier  hundred  years. 

"  And  now  what  shall  we  do  ?  "  asked  Doran. 

"  I  think,"  answered  Viwii  and  Trim,  "  that  wc  may 
just  stay  where  we  are." 

"  Then  I  must  build  a  house,"  said  Doran. 

"  Build  it  in  the  forest,"  said  Trim  ;  "  I  want  to  go 
hunting." 

"And  leave  plenty  of  room  for  the  mice  to  run 
about,"  said  Muff;  "a  house  without  mice  is  dull." 

Prince  Doran  did  as  they  advised  him.  He  built 
a  house  in  the  forest,  and  Muff  and  Trim  helped  him. 
When  the  house  was  built,  and  all  but  roofed,  Doian, 
Muff,  and  Trim  felt  tired,  and  took  a  long  nap. 

"  Let  us  roof  the  house  now,"  said  Doran,  when  he 
woke. 

"  No,"  said  Trim,  '*  let  us  hunt  first." 

"  Yes,  I  want  an  airing,"  said  Muff. 

"  Well,"  said  Doran,  "  I  feel  as  if  a  walk  would  do 
me  good." 

.They  all  went  out  in  the  forest.  Trim  ran  first 
looking  for  game,  Doran  came  after  him,  and  Muff 
was  on  Doran's  shoulder.     They  had  not  walked  long 


154  PRINCE  DORAN: 

before  Trim  said,  "  I  hear  a  great  noise.  Do  you  see 
aii}-thing,  Muff?" 

"  I  see  two  crows  picking-  at  something  on  the 
ground,"  answered  Muff. 

"  Trim,  go  and  see  what  is  the  matter,"  said  Doran. 

Trim  went  on  barking  till  he  came  to  the  two  crows. 
They  flew  away,  and  he  found  a  little  red  squirrel 
all  torn  and  bleeding,  which  he  picked  up  in  his  mouth, 
and  brought  back  to  his  master.  The  little  Squirrel 
looked  almost  dead,  but  Prince  Doran  took  it  home 
and  laid  it  on  the  hearth,  and  Trim  licked  it,  and 
Muff  kept  it  warm. 

After  a  while  the  little  Squirrel  opened  one  e\'e,  then 
he  opened  the  other  eye,  then  he  moaned  and  stirred  ; 
then  he  said : 

"Thank  you,  Prince  Doran,  you  have  saved  my  life." 

Doran  was  accustomed  to  hear  Muff  and  Trim  talk 
but  he  had  never  heard  a  squirrel  talk  before ;  besides, 
this  one  knew  his  name,  and  could  not  be  a  squirrel 
like  any  other.  He  was  much  surprised,  and  said  at 
once,  "  Who  are  you  }  " 

"  I  am  the  Fairy  Nap,"  answered  the  Squirrel;  "and 
I  am  nurse  to  all    the   young  fairies.      1  lull  them  to 


rK/XCE  DORAN. 


155 


sleep  by  setting  in  motion  all  the  gold  and  silver  acorns 
on  the  fairy  oak.  I  wanted  to  see  the  world,  but  the 
Oucen  of  the  I-'airies  would  not  allow  it.  I  teased  her 
so  much,  however,  that  she  consented  to  let  me  have 
my  way,  but  on  condition  that  I  should  not  be  more 
than  a  week  awa\-,  and  that  I  should  remain  under 
the  shape  of  a  squirrel  all  the  time.  You  see  what  has 
come  of  it.  I  had  scarcely  begun  to  look  about  me 
when  I  was  attacked  b\'  these  two  crows,  and  they 
would  ha\-e  killed  me  if  you  had  not  sent  Trim  to 
deliver  me." 

Prince  Doran,  Mufif,  and  Trim  were  greatly  pleased 
to  have  got  a  fairy.  They  took  every  care  of  her,  and 
the\'  would  sit  and  listen  by  the  hour  to  her  accounts 
of  Fairyland.  At  the  end  of  three  days  the  Squirrel, 
or  rather  Fairy  Nap,  was  quite  well  again,  for  she  had 
told  Doran  to  fetch  her  certain  herbs  from  the  forest, 
and  tliese  had  healed  her  wounds.  She  was  a  little 
lame,  however,  for  her  left  leg  had  been  injured,  but 
otherwise  she  was  ver\'  liveh',  and  ate  the  nuts  which 
Mufif  and  Trim  brought  her,  as  heartily  as  if  she  had 
eaten  nothing  else  all  her  life.  She  would  not  sleep 
with  Muff  and  Trim,  however,  but  when   Prince  Doran 


156  PRINCE  DORA  IV. 

took  off"  his  coat  at  night  and  hung-  it  up,  she  got  into 
his  pocket  and  stayed  there  till  the  morning.  The  first 
thing  he  did  on  getting  up  was  to  look  for  Nap  and 
take  her  out  ;  but  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day 
she  was  not  in  his  pocket  as  usual. 

"  You  need  not  look  for  me  there,  Prince  Doran,"  said 
she,  "  I  could  not  fit  in  your  pocket  now." 

Doran  looked  round  and  saw  the  most  beautiful  little 
lady  he  had  ever  seen  ;  and  she  was  not  merely  beauti- 
ful, but  she  shone  so  with  gold  and  silver  and  pearls,  dia- 
monds and  precious  stones,  that  he  was  quite  dazzled. 

*'  Are  you  Nap  .-^  "  he  asked. 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  "  I  am  the  Fairy  Nap,  and  I  must 
go  back  directly  to  Fairyland  and  lull  the  young  fairies 
to  sleep  ;  and  now  tell  me  what  gift  you  will  have  from 
me  for  having  saved  my  life.  But  please  to  make 
haste,  for  I  must  be  gone." 

Prince  Doran  said  he  must  consult  Muff  and  Trim,  so 
the  three  put  their  heads  together  and  whispered  to 
each  other;  then  Prince  Doran  said,  "Well,  Nap,  since 
you  leave  us  free  to  choose,  and  since  you  are  going 
back  to  Fairyland,  take  us  with  you." 

Fairy  Nap   was  very   much    vexed   when   she   heard 


PKIA'CK  DORAN.  157 

this,  and  did  all  she  could  to  make  them  change  that 
gift  into  another.  She  oftered  Doran  to  make  him 
king  again,  and  Muff  to  give  him  a  charm  whicli 
would  make  rats  and  mice  run  u[)  to  him,  and  Trim 
to  take  him  to  Rabbitland,  but  they  all  three  declared 
that  the\'  would  go  to  Fairyland,  and  that  they  would 
have  nothing  else.  When  Nap  saw  they  were  deter- 
mined, she  thought  she  would  make  use  of  this  wish  of 
theirs  to  see  a  little  more  of  the  world,  but  this  time 
under  her  own  shape. 

"Very  well,"  said  she;  "if  I  take  you  to  Fairyland, 
you  must  lull  the  young  fairies  to  sleep  instead  of  me 
for  a  week,  and  when  you  have  been  seven  times  seven 
daj-s  in  Fairxdand  you  will  find  yourselves  here  back 
again." 

Prince  Doran,  Muff,  and  Trim  agreed  to  tlu's,  for 
they  did  not  know  that  a  week  in  Fairyland  is  exactly 
seven  times  seven  days,  and  not  a  minute  less.  The 
moment  they  had  said  yes,  they  found  themselves  with 
Nap  in  Fairyland  under  an  oak-tree  all  hung  with  gold 
and  silver  acorns.  All  the  young  fairies  were  lyin;^ 
around  the  tree,  and  each  fairy  was  in  a  cradle  of 
pearls,  and  from  every  guld  and  silver  acorn  there  was 


158  PRINCE  DO  RAN. 

a  thread,  and  all  the  threads  met  at  one  end  and  were 
fastened  together  by  a  big  diamond.  Nap  put  the 
diamond  into  Prince  Doran's  hand,  and  showed  him  how 
he  was  to  put  all  the  threads  in  motion,  and  lull  the 
young  fairies  to  sleep  with  the  music  of  the  gold  and 
silver  acorns  ;  then  bidding  him  on  no  account  stop  one 
second,  for  if  he  did  the  young  fairies  would  waken  at 
once,  and  the  Queen  be  ever  so  angry,  she  vanished. 
Prince  Doran  did  as  he  was  bid.  He  set  all  the  gold 
and  silver  acorns  in  motion,  and  lulled  the  young  fairies 
to  sleep  ;  but  the  music  of  the  acorns  was  so  sweet  and 
delightful  that  he  longed  to  sleep  too ;  so  after  a  while 
he  said,  "  Muff,  take  that  ball  in  your  mouth,  and  let  me 
have  a  nod." 

Muff  did  as  he  was  bid  ;  but  after  a  while  he  got  so 
sleepy  that  he  said,  "Trim,  take  that  ball  in  your 
mouth,  and  let  me  have  a  nod." 

Trim  took  the  ball,  but  he  got  so  sleepy  that  he  had 
to  waken  Prince  Doran  ;  and  when  he  got  sleepy  again, 
he  had  to  waken  Muft,  and  so  the}'  spent  all  their  time 
sleeping  and  wakening;  and  whilst  Fairy  Nap  was  going 
about  the  world  enjoying  herself,  they  could  not  stir 
from    under   the  fairy  tree,  and  never  got  a  sight  of 


'Nap  showed  him  liow  he  wa^  lu  put  a.i  ti.'     ' 

to  sleep  wilh  the  mu>ic  of  the  g'  Id  nnd 


TKIXCE  DOR  AW  150 

Fairyland.  At  last  Doran  got  so  tired  that  when  he 
gave  tlic  ball  to  Muff  he  said,  "Now,  Muff,  manage  as 
you  like  ;  but  whatever  }'ou  do,  do  not  waken  nie." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Muff,  as  Prince  Doran  rolled  him- 
self up  in  his  quilt  and  went  fast  asleep. 

When  Muff  felt  sleepy  he  gave  the  diamond  ball  to 
Trim,  and  said  to  him,  "Now,  Trim,  manage  as  you 
like,  but  whatever  you  do,  do  not  waken  me." 

With  that  Muff  went  and  laid  himself  down  at  the 
head  of  Prince  Doran,  and  was  soon  fast  asleep. 

Trim  put  the  gold  and  silver  acorns  in  motion,  and 
lulled  the  young  fairies  to  sleep  as  long  as  he  could  ; 
but  he  got  so  sleepy  himself  that  he  could  go  on  no 
longer,  so  he  just  dropped  the  diamond  ball,  and  curled 
himself  round  at  the  feet  of  Prince  Doran. 

The  moment  the  diamond  ball  touched  the  ground 
the  gold  and  silver  acorns  ceased  going,  and  all  the 
young  fairies  woke  and  began  to  cry.  Trim  started  up, 
and  picked  up  that  nearest  to  him,  and  shook  it  well,  he 
was  so  frightened.  Then  Muff  awoke  and  got  another 
fairy,  and  shook  it  too,  to  keep  it  quiet  ;  but  as  all  the 
other  fairies  kept  on  crying  louder  and  louder,  Prince 
Doran  awoke,  and  putting  his  hand  in  the  cradle  next 


too  PRINCE  DORAN. 

him,  he  took  the  young  fairy  out  of  it  and  hushed  it  ; 
and  at  that  moment  the  seven  times  seven  dax'S  that 
they  liad  been  in  Fairyland  being-  out,  Prince  Doran, 
Muff,  and  Trim  found  themselves  at  home  again  in  the 
little  house  in  the  forest ;  Doran  with  a  young  fairy  in 
his  hand,  and  Muff  and  Trim  with  each  a  fairy  in  his 
mouth. 

"Well,"  said  Prince  Doran,  "we  have  brought  some- 
thing out  of  Fairyland." 

They  were  all  three  much  pleased  with  their  prize. 
The  young  fairies  were  very  little,  but  very  pretty  ;  they 
required,  however,  so  much  care  and  nursing  that 
Doran,  ]\IuiT,  and  Trim  had  no  time  to  spare  to  roof 
the  house,  for  Doran  made  cradles  for  them,  and  they 
had  to  be  rocked  almost  all  day  and  all  night ;  then 
they  could  feed  on  nothing  but  dew  and  honey,  and 
Doran  had  to  go  out  every  morning  to  get  them  the 
earliest  dew,  and  Mufif  had  to  prowl  about  at  night  to 
steal  the  honey  of  the  wild  bees  for  them,  whilst  Trim 
stayed  at  home  and  watched  them,  and  would  not  let 
a  soul  come  near  the  place.  All  that  time  the  house 
remained  unroofed  ;  but  on  account  of  there  being 
fairies   in   it,  there  was  neither  rain  nor  bad  weather. 


PRINCE  DOR  AN.  i6i 

It  was  always  sunny  in  the  daytime  and  warm  at 
night.  Wlien  the  young  fairies  were  old  enough  to  go 
about  they  were  so  frolicsome  and  so  full  of  pretty 
tricks  that  Doran,  Muff,  and  Trim  never  felt  dull,  and 
grew  fonder  and  fonder  of  them  every  day.  Indeed 
the}'  could  not  let  them  out  of  their  sight  a  moment 
lest  they  should  escape.  Not  that  the  young  fairies 
seemed  to  wish  to  go  ;  but  Doran  knew  that  fairies  are 
not  to  be  trusted,  besides  he  was  afraid  lest  the  Queen 
of  the  Fairies  should  steal  these  back  again  from  him, 
Muff,  and  Trim. 

One  day  Doran's  fairy  said  to  him,  "  Doran,  you 
must  open  all  the  doors  and  windows  of  the  house." 

"Why  so  .''"  asked  Doran. 

**  Because  we  are  going  to  make  you,  Muff,  and  Trim 
a  quilt  to  lie  on,  and  we  want  all  the  birds  of  the  air, 
all  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  and  all  the  insects  of  the  field 
to  help  us." 

When  Muff"  and  Trim  saw  Doran  opening  all  the 
doors  and  windows  of  the  house,  they  asked  him  what 
that  was  for,  and  when  Doran  told  them,  Trim  said  : 
"Your  old  quilt  would  do  very  well.  What  do  you 
want  with  a  new  one.-*" 


l62  PRINCE  DORAN. 

And  Muff  said  :  "  I  would  not  trust  those  fairies,  if 
I  were  you." 

But  for  once  Doran  would  not  take  the  advice  of 
Muff  and  Trim.  When  all  the  doors  and  windows  of 
the  house  were  open,  the  first  fairy  called  all  the  birds 
of  the  air,  and  made  each  bird  give  her  a  feather;  then 
the  second  fairy  called  all  the  fishes  of  the  sea,  and 
bade  each  fish  give  her  a  scale  or  bring  her  a  pearl  from 
the  sea  ;  then  the  third  fairy  called  all  the  insects  of 
the  field,  and  made  every  one  of  those  that  spun  webs 
give  her  some  of  their  web,  and  those  that  were  winged 
one  of  its  wings.  When  they  had  all  the  feathers,  scales, 
pearls,  wings,  and  webs  that  they  wanted,  the  young 
fairies  began  to  make  the  quilt.  They  worked  three  days 
and  three  nights,  and  at  length  the  quilt  was  finished. 
The  groundwork  was  of  feathers  and  web  to  be  soft 
and  warm,  the  pattern  was  of  fishes'  scales  and  insects' 
wings,  and  the  border  and  the  tassels  were  of  pearls. 

"And  now,"  said  the  fairies  to  Doran,  "lie  down  and 
try  if  you  like  your  quilt." 

Doran  lay  down,  and  the  quilt  was  so  soft  and  warm 
and  pleasant,  that  he  rolled  himself  in  it  and  fell  asleep 
at  once. 


PRINCE  DOK.LV.  163 

"And  now,  Mufif,"  said  the  fairies,  "try  how  \-ou  like 
the  quilt." 

Muff  went  and  laid  himself  down  at  Doran's  head 
and  fell  fast  asleep. 

"And  now/'  said  the  fairies  to  Trim,  "do  you  try 
how  you  like  it,  Trim." 

Trim  crept  under  the  quilt  till  he  got  at  Doran's  feet, 
when  he  at  once  began  to  snore.  When  the  three  were 
fast  asleep,  the  fairies  went  and  sat  on  the  quilt. 
Then  it  rose  and  rose  till  it  flew  away  up  in  the  air, 
because  tbiCre  was  no  roof  to  the  house,  and  Doran, 
Muff,  and  Trim  and  the  three  fairies  were  in  Fairyland 
in  no  time,  all  under  the  oak-tree  with  the  gold  and 
silver  acorns,  where  Nap  was  lulling  the  young  fairies 
to  sleep  in  their  cradles  of  pearls.  When  Doran,  Miiff, 
and  Trim  had  had  a  long  sleep  they  awoke. 

"  Why,  here  we  are,  under  the  oak-tree  again,"  said 
Doran. 

"Yes,"  said  the  three  young  fairies,  "and  here  we 
are  with  \'ou,  and  is  not  that  a  good  quilt  which  we 
made  for  }-ou  ?  " 

"It  is  very  good,"  answered  Prince  Doran,  'but  1 
am  tired  hearing  the  gold  and  silver  acorns,  besides  I 
must  go  home  and  roof  my  house." 


164 


PRINCE  DORAN. 


"  Have  another  sleep  first,"  said  the  three  fairies. 
"  Yes,"  said  Muff  and  Trim,  "  let  us  take  another  nap. ' 
So  they  all  three  went  to  sleep  again,  and  the  three 
young  fairies  watched  by  them  night  and  day  lest  they 
should  escape,  and  every  time  they  woke  and  wanted 
to  go  home,  they  persuaded  them  to  have  another  sleep 
first,  and  that  is  how  Doran,  ]\Iuff,  and  Trim  are  still 
asleep  in  Fairyland,  and  how  the  little  house  in  the 
forest  is  unroofed  to  this  day. 


was  once  upon  a  time,  a  poor 
old  woman,  who  lived  in  a  little 
cottage  on  the  borders  of  a  forest,  with  her  two  orphan 
grandchildren.  They  were  twin  sisters,  and  so  much 
alike  that  their  grandmother  only  knew  them  by  the 
colour  of  their  hair;  for  one  was  fair  and  the  other 
was  dark,  and  the  fair  one  was  called  Fairie,  and  the 
dark  one,   Brownie. 

The   old  woman  went  out  one  day  to  gather  sticks 
in    the   forest,   and    left   the    two   children   alone  in  the 


1 66  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

house.  It  was  a  Saturday,  and  Fairie,  who  was  look- 
ing out  of  the  window  to  see  the  people  who  went 
up  and  down  the  road,  on  their  way  to  and  from 
market,  also  began  to  sing. 

"  Ding,  dong,  dell," 

sang  Fairie,  and  Brownie  answered  within, 

"  Pussy  cat's  in  the  well." 
"  Who  put  him  in  ?  " 

sang  Fairie, 

"Little  Johnnie  Trim," 

answered  Brownie. 

"  Wlio  took  him  out?" 

Fairie  sang  again  and  again.     Brownie  answered, 

"Little  Johnnie  Trout." 

The  two  sisters  were  beginning  again  with  "  Ding, 
dong,  dell,"  when  a  little  old  gentleman  turned  round 
the  corner  of  the  house  and  looked  up  at  Fairie.  He 
wore  a  cocked  hat,  a  red  coat,  silk  stockings,  and 
shoes  with  silver  buckles  to  them,  for  all  this  happened 
a  long  time  ago,  when  people  were  still  dressed  after 
that  fashion. 

"  My   dear,"   said    the    old    gentleman,    winking   at 


FA  IN  IE  AND  BROWNIE.  167 

Fairie,  "how  well  you  do  sing.  Will  \ou  let  me  in 
to  listen  to  your  '  Ding,  dong.  dell '  ?  " 

"The  door  is  on  the  latch,  sir,"  replied  Ivairic, 
"and  you  can  come  in  if  you  like." 

"  Oh  !  very  well,"  says  he  briskly,  and  in  he  walked 
at  once. 

Fairie,  who  was  never  afraid  of  anything,  or  of  any- 
one, came  and  looked  at  him  ;  but  Brownie,  who  was 
shy,  ran  and  hid  behind  the  door.  The  old  gentleman 
took  a  chair,  sat  down,  and  made  himself  comfortable. 
Presently  he  took  off  his  cocked  hat,  and  said  to  Fairie  : 
"My  dear,  }-our  'Ding,  dong,  dell'  is  the  prettiest  and 
the  cleverest  song  I  ever  heard.  Do  sing  it  to  me, 
please.     In  m\-  right  ear,  dear." 

"Yes,"  answered  Fairie;  "but  Brownie  must  sing, 
'Pussy  cat's  in  the  well.'" 

"  By  all  means,"  said  he ;  "  Brownie  shall  sing  in 
my  left  ear." 

Fairie  began  at  once  with  "  Ding,  dong,  dell," 
which  she  sang  in  the  old  gentleman's  right  ear, 
and  Brownie  sang  "  Pussy  cat's  in  the  well " 
in  his  left  ear,  and  they  both  sang  till  the 
song    was    ended,    when     they    began     it    again,    for 


i68  FAIRIE  AND  BROWN  IE. 

as  the  old  gentleman  said  :  One  can  never  have  too 
much  of  a  good  thing.  Indeed,  so  nicely  did  they 
sing,  and  so  pleased  was  he,  that  he  shut  his  eyes 
and  purred  like  a  cat.  They  had  just  begun  another 
"Ding,  dong,  dell,"  when  the  door  opened,  and  their 
grandmother  came  in  with  her  bundle  of  sticks. 

"There,  dears,  that  will  do,  thank  you,"'  said  the  old 
gentleman,  getting  up  and  walking  out. 

Something  fell  on  the  floor  with  a  chink  as  he  got 
up,  and  Fairie  ran  after  him,  saying:  "You  have 
dropped  something,  sir." 

"  Keep  it,  my  dear,"  answered  the  old  gentleman 
without  looking  round. 

He  walked  on  very  fast,  got  behind  some  tall  ferns, 
and  vanished.  When  Fairie  went  back  to  the  cottage 
and  told  her  grandmother  all  that  had  happened,  she 
found  that  it  was  a  bright  new  shilling  which  the  old 
gentleman  had  dropped  on  the  floor.  People  could 
live  for  a  week  on  a  shilling  in  those  times  ;  and  as 
the  old  grandmother  was  very  poor,  she  thought  what 
a  blessing  it  was  that  this  gentleman  in  the  cocked 
hat  should  have  come  in  and  got  Fairie  and  Brownie 
to  sing  him  "  Ding,  dong,  dell," 


FAIRIE  AXD  BROW  ME.  169 

On  the  following  Saturday  the  f^rand mother  went 
out  a<jain  to  the  forest  to  gather  sticks,  and  the  two 
little  sisters  remained  at  home.  Fairie  was  at  the 
window,  looking  up  and  down  the  road,  when  she  saw 
the  old  gentleman  in  the  red  coat  and  cocked  hat 
coming  towards  the  house. 

"  Well,  my  dear,"  said  he,  nodding  to  her,  "  will 
you  let  me  in  to-day  ? " 

"  Oh  yes,  sir,"  answered  Fairie  ;  "  and  we  will  sing 
you  '  Four-and-twenty  blackbirds  baked  in  a  pie,'  if  you 
like  it." 

"  Thank  you,  dear,"  said  he,  walking  in  ;  "  but  I 
think  'Ding,  dong,  dell,' the  finest  song  that  ever  was 
made,  and  we  will  have  that  first,  if  }'ou  please." 

He  sat  down,  took  off"  his  cocked  hat,  made  Fairie 
sing  in  his  right  ear  and  Brownie  in  his  left;  and 
when  the  song  was  ended,  and  they  wanted  to  have 
the  "  Four-and-twenty  blackbirds  baked  in  a  pie,"  he 
begged  for  "Ding,  dong,  dell"  over  again,  for,  as  he 
said,  the  more  he  heard  that  noble  song  the  better  he 
liked  it.  They  were  beginning  it  for  the  seventh  time 
when  the  door  opened,  and  their  grandmother  came 
in    with    a    bundle    of   sticks    in    her    arm.       The    old 


170  FAIR  IE  AND  BROWNIE. 

gentleman  then  started  up  in  a  mighty  hurry,  and 
dropped  another  shiUing  as  he  walked  out  of  the 
house.  Brownie  picked  it  up  and  ran  after  him,  but 
he  did  not  even  look  round  at  her. 

"  Keep  it,  keep  it,"  said  he ;  and  he  was  gone  and 
behind  the  ferns  in  no  time. 

Well,  this  shilling  lasted  another  week  ;  and  when 
Saturday  came  round,  the  grandmother  went  again  to 
the  forest  to  gather  sticks,  and  the  old  gentleman 
came  and  had  "  Ding,  dong,  dell  "  sung  to  him  by  the 
two  little  sisters  ;  and  everything  happened  exactly  as 
it  had  happened  before,  with  this  difference,  that  it  was 
the  grandmother  who  ran  after  him  with  the  shilling, 
and  that,  being  rather  lame,  she  was  only  just  in  time 
to  see  his  cocked  hat  disappear  behind  the  ferns. 
She  went  on  thinking  she  would  surely  find  him ; 
but  when  she,  too,  got  behind  the  ferns,  all  she  saw 
was  a  molehill. 

"Now,  who  can  this  little  gentleman  in  the  red 
coat  be,  and  where  does  he  come  from,  and  where 
does  he  go  to  ? "  thought  the  grandmother,  "  I  shall 
stay  within  next  Saturday  and  watch  him." 

Instead  of  going  out  to  gather  sticks  as  usual,  the 


FAIRIE  AXD  BROlV.y//:.  171 

old  woman  remained  at  home  on  the  next  Saturday; 
but  thoiigli  both  Fairie  and  Brownie  had  their  heads 
cut  of  the  window,  and  san<^  "  Din^,  don^,  dell,"  and 
looked  up  and  down  the  road  for  the  old  gentleman, 
he  never  came  near  the  cottage.  The  grandmother 
got  tired  of  waiting  for  him,  and  went  out  towards 
dusk.  She  was  scarcely  gone  when  in  he  walked, 
looking  in  a  great  hurry. 

"Come,  my  dears,"  said  he  to  the  children,  "make 
haste  and  sing,  for  I  am  ever  so  late." 

Fairie  and  Brownie,  who  were  very  good-natured, 
began  singing  at  once  ;  but  at  the  end  of  five  minutes 
he  started  up  and  said  that  would  do  for  to-day,  and 
he  had  dropped  the  shilling,  and  was  gone  in  a  moment. 

Matters  went  on  so  for  a  long  time.  The  grand- 
mother, seeing  it  was  no  use  to  stay  at  home  and 
v.-atch  the  old  gentleman,  went  out  every  Saturday. 
He  came  quite  regularl}-  to  hear  "Ding,  dong,  dell" 
sung,  and  dropped  a  shilling,  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 
walked  away  and  vanished  behind  the  ferns  just  as  he 
had  done  the  first  time.  One  Saturday,  as  the  old 
grandmother  was  coming  in  and  the  old  gentleman 
was  going  out,  he  said  to  Fairie  and  Brownie:  "Well. 


172  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

dears,  1  shall  come  and  hear  'Ding-,  dong,  dell'  sun^,^ 
for  the  last  time  next  Saturday,  and  so  what  shall  I 
bring  you  ? " 

Before  the  grandmother  had  time  to  put  in  a  word, 
both  Fairie  and  Brownie  had  answered  :  "  Oh,  please, 
will  you  bring  us  a  bird  ?  " 

"  Very  well,"  said  he,  "  you  shall  have  '  Don't-Forget- 
j\Ie.'"  And  off  he  was,  and  behind  the  ferns  in  no  time. 
The  grandmother  was  very  angr}-  that  Fairie  and 
Brownie  had  asked  for  nothing  better  than  a  bird. 

"  You  foolish  children,"  she  said,  "  what  shall  we 
do  with  a  bird?  Feed  it  wdien  we  cannot  feed  our- 
selves !  And  then,  how  shall  we  get  on  without  the 
old  gentleman's  shilling  since  he  means  to  come  no 
more .''  If  you  had  sung  something  else  to  him 
besides  that  stupid  '  Ding,  dong,  dell,'  he  would  never 
have  left  off  coming,  I  am  sure." 

She  scolded  them  both  till  Fairie  and  Brownie 
began  to  cry,  and  declared  that  tliey  had  sung  "Ding, 
dong,  dell"  because  the  old  gentleman  would  hear  no- 
thing else,  and  he  shut  his  eyes  and  purred  all  the  time 
they  sang  it,  and  they  were  sure  they  were  not  to 
blame. 


FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE.  173 

"Well,"  said  the  grandmother,  "what  Is  done  is 
done,  but  what  \ou  have  to  do  is  this  :  when  that 
little  Red  Coat  goes  away  next  Saturday,  follow  him 
as  fast  as  }-ou  can,  and  see  where  he  goes  to  when  he 
gets  behind  the  ferns.  If  you  can  find  out  where  lie 
lives,  he  may  take  you  to  sing  to  him  again." 

Fairie  and  Brownie  both  promised  to  do  this.  The 
old  gentleman  came  on  the  Saturday,  and  they  sang 
to  him,  and  as  he  was  going  away,  he  took  a  little 
silver  cage  with  a  green  bird  in  it  out  of  his  pocket, 
and  said :  "  Good-bye,  my  dears,  here  is  '  Don't- 
Forget-Me.' "  And  he  was  gone  in  no  time.  Fairie 
and  Brownie  followed  him  out,  and  as  he  never  looked 
round,  they  were  almost  as  soon  behind  the  ferns  as 
he  was.  They  saw  him  walking  very  fast  to  a  broad 
and  handsome  gate  which  stood  wide  open,  showing 
them  a  beautiful  garden  full  of  roses,  and  beyond   it  a 


splendid 

palace 

all 

glitterin 

g  in 

the 

sun.     ' 

I   suppose 

he   lives 

here," 

said 

Fairie 

to  B 

-ownic  ;    and  they   fol- 

lowed   hi 

m  in. 

No 

sooner 

had 

they 

passed   the  gate 

than  the 

old  gentl 

:man  looked 

roun 

d  and 

nodded  to 

them. 

'Oh! 

Fairie    and 

Brownie,' 

said 

he,    "  here 

you    are 

come 

to 

see    me 

1       I 

thought    > 

ou    would. 

174  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

Well,  my  dears,  your  room  is  ready,  and  luncheon  is 
waiting." 

He  took  them  at  once  to  the  palace,  then  up  to  a 
pretty  room  with  two  little  beds  in  it.  And  on  each 
bed  there  was  a  pretty  little  frock  ready  ;  the  blue  one 
was  for  Fairie,  and  Brownie  had  the  pink  one.  After 
that  they  went  to  another  room  where  a  table  was 
set  out  with  cakes,  sweets,  and  all  sorts  of  good 
things.  The  old  gentleman  bade  the  -little  sisters 
take  what  they  liked  and  eat  as  much  as  they 
pleased.  When  they  had  done  he  made  them  sing 
to  him,  and  after  that  he  took  them  to  a  room  full 
of  playthings,  where  he  left  them. 

Now  this  old  gentleman  was  prime  minister  to  the 
King  of  the  Fairies,  and  his  name  was  Snip.  The 
beautiful  palace  he  had  taken  Fairie  and  Brownie  to 
was  the  palace  of  the  King  and  Queen,  and  it  was  in 
Fairyland.  There  was  nothing  Snip  liked  so  well  as 
hearing  little  children  sing,  and  he  went  out  in  the 
world  every  Saturday  for  that  purpose,  till  the  King, 
\\\\Q  wanted  him  for  state  business,  would  not  let 
him  out  any  more.  You  may  think,  therefore,  how- 
glad   Snip  was   to  keep  Fairie  and  Brownie  when   they 


FAIRIE  AND  BROWXIE.  175 

followed  him.  He  was  very  kind  to  them,  and  gave 
them  the  best  of  everything.  They  had  all  sorts  of 
daint}'  thin;4s  to  cat,  and  the  most  beautiful  clothes 
to  wear,  and  the  handsomest  of  playthings  to  play 
with,  and  all  they  had  to  do  was  to  sing  "  Ding,  dong, 
dell"  to  him  every  day.  Sometimes  they  got  tired  of 
this,  and  cried,  and  asked  to  go  home  to  Granny  ;  but 
Snip  gav^e  them  a  cake  or  a  doll  or  a  new  frock,  and 
the\'  were  comforted. 

No  one  in  the  palace  knew  anything  about  all  this, 
but  the  King  and  Queen  of  the  Fairies  soon  perceived 
that  the  prime  minister  who  dined  at  the  royal  table, 
was  always  in  a  great  hurry  to  go  to  his  own  apartment 
immediately  after  luncheon. 

"Snip,"  once  said  the  King,  "what  are  you  going 
away  for  in  such  haste  .-*  " 

"  May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  answered  Snip,  look- 
ing m)-sterious  "  I  know  that  your  Majesty's  enemies 
are  plotting  against  )-ou,  so  I  go  and  counterplot  in  my 
room." 

The  King  nodded,  and  said,  "  Quite  right,"  and  that 
was  all. 

The  King  had  a  little  fairy  page  called  Pop,  wlio  was 


176  FA  HUE  AND  BROWNIE. 

always  making  mischief.  As  he  once  passed  by  the 
door  of  Snip  he  heard  him  talking  to  Fairy  and 
Brownie.  Pop  was  too  short  to  look  through  the  ke}'- 
hole  and  see  who  was  within,  but  he  ran  and  told  the 
King  that  the  prime  minister  had  strangers  with 
him. 

"  Snip  is  a  traitor,"  said  the  King  to  the  Queen,  "  I 
must  see  about  it." 

The  King  went  at  once  to  the  door  of  Snip's  room, 
and  wishing  to  take  the  prime  minister  in  the  act, 
whatever  he  might  be  doing,  he  first  peeped  through  the 
keyhole.  What  should  he  see  but  Snip  seated  in  an 
armchair,  with  his  eyes  shut,  and  his  hands  folded,  a  little 
fair  girl  standing  on  one  side  of  him,  and  a  little  dark 
girl  on  the  other. 

"  Now,  my  dears,  you  may  begin,"  said  Snip. 

''  Ding,  dong,  dell,"  sang  Fairie  in  his  right  ear. 

"  Pussy  cat's  in  the  well,"  sang  Brownie  in  his  left  ear, 
and  so  on,  till  the  song  was  ended,  and  all  the  time 
Snip  kept  his  eyes  shut,  and  purred  like  a  cat. 

They  were  going  to  begin  over  again,  when  the  King 
touched  the  lock  with  the  fairy  ring  on  his  fore  tinger. 
At  once  the  door  flew  wide  open,  Snip  started  up  in  a 


FAIR  IE  AXn  BROWME.  177 

frijlit,  and  Fairic  and  Brownie  went  and  hid  behind  liis 
big  chair. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  the  King  of  the  Fairies,  looking  very 
sternh-  at  Snip,  and  speaking  in  a  ver\'  deep  voice,  "  is 
that  your  counterplotting,  having  '  Ding,  dong,  dell,' 
sung  to  you  by  two  mortals?  Don't  you  know  that  I 
have  forbidden  all  such  intercourse  with  human  beings 
since  we  had  so  much  trouble  with  Red  Cap?" 

"  May  it  please  your  Majest}-,"  replied  Snip,  who  was 
himself  again,  "  I  do  it  to  clear  my  ideas,  and  for  the 
good  of  your  kingdom.  Your  Majest}'  knows  that  we 
fairies  get  cobweb  on  the  brain.  Now,  to  hear  a  song 
sung  by  human  beings,  who,  as  every  one  knows, 
never  have  cobwebs  of  an}'  kind,  is  the  finest  thing 
in  the  world  for  that  complaint.  Your  Majesty  can- 
not imagine  how  clear  one's  ideas  begin  to  get  when 
one  hears  '  Ding,  dong,  dell,'  but  when  it  comes  to 
Johnny  Trout,  one  feels  as  bright  as  bright  can 
be." 

"  Indeed  !"  said  the  King,  "  I  must  try  that.     Give  me 

the  chair,  and  you  little  things  come  and  sing  to  me 

directly." 

It   took   some  coaxing  to  make  Fairie  and  Brownie 

M 


178  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE, 

sing  to  the  King  of  the  Fairies,  but  at  length  they  did 
so,  and  he  liked  it  amazingly. 

"  1  declare  my  ideas  are  getting  clearer  and  clearer," 
said  the  King,  "  I  must  hear  that  wonderful  song  every 
day.      '  Ding,  dong,  dell !  '    Beautiful  !  beautiful !" 

"  And  Pussy  cat's  in  the  well !  "  said  Snip. 

"  Oh  !  that  is  fine,"  said  the  King  : 

"  And  Johnny  Trout !  "  said  Snip. 

"  Oh  !  that  beats  all,"  said  the  King,  "  but,  Snip,  we 
will  keep  this  to  ourselves.  We  will  not  tell  the  Queen 
about  it." 

When  he  had  heard  "  Ding,  dong,  dell,"  sung  for  ever 
so  long,  the  King  of  the  Fairies  went  and  told  the 
Queen  that  Pop  was  a  little  impostor,  and  that  Snip 
was  a  great  statesman. 

"  Well,  but  what  about  your  enemies,  and  the  plotting 
and  counterplotting,"  said  the  Queen. 

"  My  dear,"  answered  the  King,  "  these  are  state 
matters,  with  which  ladies  have  nothing  to  do." 

The  Queen  was  very  much  aftronted  at  this,  and 
would  not  look  at  either  Snip  or  the  King  for  ever  so 
long.  After  a  time,  however,  she  thought  she  would 
like    to    know    what   it   was   that   kept  them  closeted 


FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE.  17-1 

toj^cther  even-  day,  and  so  one  afternoon  she  went  to 
Snip's  door  and  listened  to  what  was  going  on  vvitliin. 
The  King  ^\as  scolding  Snip,  and  talking  so  loud  that 
the  Ouccn  could  hear  e\-ery  word. 

"  I  tell  you,  sir,"  he  was  saying,  "  it  is  my  turn  to 
hear  'Ding,  dong,  dell.'  How  dare  you  keep  \our 
sovereign  waiting.  \'ou  rebel  V 

But  Snip  an.>wered  quite  coolly,  "  May  it  please 
your  Majest}',  I  brought  Fairie  and  Brownie  here,  and 
though  I  may  lend  them  to  you,  they  are  mine  for  all 
that." 

"  Xo,  we  are  not,"  cried  Fairie  and  Brownie;  "we  are 
Granny's,  and  we  want  to  go  away,  and  we  will  not 
sing  any  more  for  you,  you  bad,  ugly  little  men." 

Here  was  a  fine  thing  !  Two  puny  human  beings 
calling  the  King  of  the  Fairies  and  his  prime  minister 
bad,  ugly  little  men  ! 

"Snip,  you  are  a  traitor,"  cried  the  King  in  a  rage. 
"You  set  these  little  creatures  against  me.  Come  here 
and  sing  to  me  directly,"  he  said  to  Fairie. 

"And  you  come  and  sing  to  me,"  said  Snip  to 
Brownie. 

When    the  Queen    heard    about   singing,  she  looked 


i8o  FAIR  IE  AND  BROWNIE. 

through  the  keyhole.  She  saw  the  King  sitting  in  a 
chair,  Fairie  singing  to  him,  and  he  purring  Hke  a  cat 
with  his  e}'es  shut,  and  Snip  sitting  in  another  chair 
with  Brownie  singing  to  him,  and  he  was  purring  louder 
than  the  King.  When  the  Queen  had  looked  long 
enough  she  went  away.  Presently  she  met  the  King 
and  his  minister,  who  had  made  it  up,  and  were  going 
out  riding  together.  She  asked  what  they  had  been 
doing  in  Snip's  room. 

"My  dear,"  answered  the  King,  "I  have  already  told 
you  that  these  are  state  matters  not  fit  for  ladies." 

"Oh,  very  well,"  said  the  Queen;  but  as  soon  as  they 
were  gone,  she  went  up  to  Snip's  room  and  touched  the 
lock  with  the  fairy  ring  on  her  forefinger.  The  door 
flew  open,  and  the  Queen  found  Fairie  and  Brownie 
crying  together  in  a  corner  of  the  room. 

They  stopped  when  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies  came 
in,  for  never  before  had  thc}-  seen  so  beautiful  a  lady, 
and  one  so  finely  dressed  too,  all  in  gold  and  silver,  with 
a  crown  of  diamonds  on  her  head. 

"  Whoare  you  .''"  asked  the  Queen.  "Who  brought 
you  here,  and  what  are  you  crying  for.?" 

"  I  am   Fairie,  and  this  is  Brownie,"  answered  Fairie, 


F.i/f://-:  AXD  BROWME.  iSi 

"  and  we  came  here  after  an  ugly  little  black  man,  be- 
cause Granny  bade  us,  and  the  ugly  little  black  man 
makes  us  sing  to  him,  and  we  want  to  go  home  to 
Granny." 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Queen;  "but  as  you  did  not 
come  here  from  naughtiness,  but  because  you  were  bid, 
)-ou  must  see  m\-  garden  first." 

She  took  Fairie  by  one  hand  and  Brownie  by  the 
other,  and  went  down  to  the  garden  with  them.  She 
then  bade  them  bring  her  all  the  cobwebs  they  could 
find.  The}'  did  so,  and  when  she  had  cobwebs  enough, 
the  Queen  took  a  needle  out  of  a  little  housewife  in  her 
pocket,  and  bidding  the  sisters  mind  what  she  was 
doing,  she  began  to  work  the  cobwebs  till  they  became 
the  finest  and  most  beautiful  lace  that  had  ever  been 
seen. 

"  Now,  take  a  cobweb,  and  do  as  I  did,"  said  the 
Queen,  giving  each  a  housewife  like  her  own. 

Fairie  and  Brownie  did  as  the  Queen  told  them, 
and  each  worked  her  cobweb  till  it  was  almost  as 
beautiful  as  the  Queen's. 

"  Xow  put  up  your  housewife,  and  let  us  look  at  m)- 
garden,"  said  the  Queen. 


i82  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

They  went  over  the  garden,  which  was  a  most 
beautiful  place,  and  full  of  the  loveliest  roses  and 
rarest  flowers.  Fairie  asked  if  Brownie  and  she  might 
not  take  some.  The  Queen  at  first  said  no,  that  she 
never  allowed  any  one  to  pick  the  flowers  of  her  gar- 
den ;  then  she  changed  her  mind,  and  told  them  that 
as  they  had  been  good  children  she  would  let  them 
take  a  few.  Fairie  gathered  some  white  roses,  and 
made  a  wreath  of  them.,  which  she  put  on  her  head  ; 
and  Brownie  picked  some  crimson  berries  that  grew 
on  a  tree,  and  threaded  them  into  a  necklace,  which 
she  fastened  round  her  neck.  This  was  scarcely  done, 
when  Fairie  saw  the  gate  through  which  they  had 
come  in  standing  wide  open. 

"  Oh,  please,"  said  Fairie  to  the  Queen,  "  may  I 
just  run  out  to  Granny.'  I  see  her  there  beyond, 
gathering  sticks  in  the  forest." 

"  I  have  a  hundred  gardens,  and  you  have  seen 
only  one,"  answered  the  Queen.  "Which  will  you  see 
first,  your  Grann\'  or  my  other  ninet\--nine  gardens?" 

Fairie  and  Brownie  both  said  they  would  rather 
see  their  Granny  first,  upon  which  the  Queen  told  them 
to  go.     They  ran    out  at  once  in   the  forest,   ever  so 


FAIRIE  AXD  BROWME.  183 

glad  to  see  their  grandmother  again,  but  also  wish- 
ing much  to  see  the  other  ninety-nine  gardens  of  tlie 
Queen  of  the  Fairies. 

"  W'c  shall  be  back  directly,"  said  Fairie,  turning 
round,  but  she  stared  quite  amazed,  for  lo  I  the  gate 
was  gone,  there  was  not  a  glimpse  of  the  garden  and 
its  roses,  the  glittering  palace  had  vanished,  and  they 
were  alone  in  the  forest,  with  the  tall  ferns  around 
them,  and  not  a  sign  of  their  grandmother  far  or  near. 

The  two  little  sisters  were  so  frightened,  that  13rownie 
could  not  help  crying;  but  Fairie  took  her  hand,  and 
said  she  knew  the  way  home,  and  that  if  Granny  was 
out  they  could  sit  at  the  door  and  wait  till  she  came 
back.  They  went  round  the  ferns,  and  followed  the 
highroad.  They  met  several  people,  who  all  stared 
at  Fairie's  wreath  of  roses  and  at  Brownie's  necklace 
of  berries,  till  the  children  were  ashamed,  and  hid 
them  in  the  pockets  of  their  little  pinafores,  for  all 
the  fine  things  which  Snip  had  given  them  were  gone, 
and  they  wore  the  shabby  clothes  which  they  had 
on  when  they  followed  him.  They  came  at  last  to 
the  spot  where,  their  grandmother's  cottage  should 
have    been,    but    in   its    stead   they   saw   a    big    square 


l84  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

house,  with  four-and-tvventy  windows  on  every  side, 
and   four-and-twenty  weathercocks  on  the  roof, 

"Please,  whose  house  is  that?"  asked  Fairie  of  a 
woman  who  was  passing  by. 

"  Why,  you  silly  child,"  answered  the  woman,  "  where 
do  \'ou  come  from  that  you  do  not  know  this  is  the 
house  which  the  Queen  had  built  for  Don't-Forget- 
Me?" 

The  children  were  glad  to  hear  about  Don't-Forget- 
Me,  for  they  thought  that  perhaps  their  grandmother 
lived  there  now.  They  went  and  sat  on  the  door- 
steps, and  waited,  thinking  she  might  come  out  to 
them,  but  she  did  not,  and  in  her  stead  out  walked 
a  big  servant  man  in  livery,  who  asked  them  roughly 
what  they  were  doing  there. 

"  We  are  tired,  and  we  are  resting,"  said  a  little  voice, 
and  Fairie,  looking  up,  saw  Don't-Forget-Me  in  his 
silver  cage,  hanging  out  of  a  window. 

"  Then  don't  rest  long,"  said  the  big  servant  man,  as 
he  went  back  into  the  house. 

Presently  a  lady's  maid  came  out,  and  calling  the 
children  little  lazy  things,  bade  them  begone. 

"  We  are  not  lazy,  for  we  can  make  lace  out  of  cob- 


FAIA'i:-:  AXD  BROirX/E.  i8s 

webs,"  said  the  little  voice  again  ;  "  go  and  sa}'  so  to 
\oiir  lady  the  Princess,  and  show  her  this." 

Fairie,  seeing  what  Don't-Forgct-Me  meant,  toolv 
out  of  her  pocket  the  lace  which  she  had  worked  in 
the  garden  of  the  Queen  of  the  Fairies,  and  gave  it 
to  the  lady's  maid,  who  went  in  with  it  to  her  mistress 
the  Princess. 

Now,  this  Princess  was  so  fonJ  of  lace  that  .she  spent 
almost  all  her  money  upon  it,  though  she  could  never 
find  any  to  her  liking  ;  but  nothing  could  be  finer  than 
this  lace  made  of  cobweb,  and  it  was  so  beautiful  as 
well,  that  the  Princess  declared  she  had  never  seen 
anything  to  equal  it. 

"  Bring  those  wonderful  little  girls  at  once,"  said 
she  to  the  maid. 

"  Children,"  said  she,  when  they  stood  before  her, 
"did  you  really  make  this  lace  out  of  cobwebs  V 

"  Get  us  some  cobwebs  from  the  garden  and  you 
will  see,"  said  a  little  voice. 

Fairie  and  Brownie  looked  up,  and  there  was 
Don't-Forget-Me  in  his  silver  cage,  hanging  close  to 
them. 

The  Princess  sent  to  the  garden  for  some  cobwebs. 


i86  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

She  chose  the  finest,  and  gave  them  to  Fairie  and 
Brownie,  who,  each  taking  out  her  housewife,  at  once 
made  the  most  beautiful  lace  that  could  be  seen. 

"  And  who  taught  you  how  to  make  lace  out  of 
cobweb,  and  who  are  you  ? "  asked  the  Princess,  more 
amazed  than  ever. 

"  A  lady  who  lives  far  away  taught  us,"  answered 
Don't-Forget-Me  in  his  cage  ;  "  and  we  are  orphans." 

"  Will  you  stay  with  me  and  work  lace  for  me  ? " 
asked  the  Princess. 

"Oh  yes;  we  will,"  answered  Don't-Forget-Me,  "if 
you  will  use  us  kindly." 

The  Princess,  who  never  seemed  to  know  it  was 
Don't-Forget-Me  who  was  talking,  and  not  Fairie  and 
Brownie,  promised  to  be  very  kind  to  them  ;  but  she 
did  not  keep  her  word,  for  the  first  thing  she  did  was  to 
have  them  taken  to  a  room  at  the  top  of  the  house,  and 
locked  up  there,  lest  they  should  escape,  and  make  lace 
out  of  cobwebs  for  some  one  else. 

When  Fairie  and  Brownie  saw  that  they  could  not  get 
out  any  more,  they  were  in  great  trouble, 

"  Don't  fret,"  said  a  little  voice,  "  I  shall  keep  you 
company." 


fAlRlE  AXD  BKOiy.V/£.  .  iSj 

Tlicy  looked  up  and  saw  Doii't-Forget-Mc  in  liis 
silver  cage. 

"  Oh,  Don't-Forget-Me/'  said  Fairic,  "  when  will 
Granny  come  to  see  us  ?  " 

"  My  dear,"  answered  Don't- Forgct-Me,  "  guess  how 
long  \-ou  have  been  away." 

"  Seven  da\-s,"  said  Fairic,  "  for  we  left  on  the  Satur- 
day morning,  and  this  is  Friday." 

"My  dear,"  replied  Don't-Forget-Me,  "you  have  been 
gone  seven  years,  and  your  grandmother  is  dead." 

Fairie  and  Jkownie  cried  bitterly  on  hearing  this, 
but  Don't-Forget-Me  did  his  best  to  comfort  them.  He 
promised  to  stay  with  them  and  to  advise  them,  and  he 
also  told  them  all  that  had  happened  whilst  tliey  were 
in  Fairyland.  When  the  old  grandmother  saw  that 
Fairie  and  Brownie  did  not  come  back  from  the  forest, 
she  went  to  look  for  them  behind  the  ferns,  but  neither 
there  nor  anywhere  else  did  she  find  them.  She  came 
back  alone  to  the  cottage,  and  sitting  down,  she  began 
to  cry. 

"Don't  cr}',  Grann>-,"  said  a  little  voice. 

"Why,  who  are  you.''"  asked  the  grandmother,  look- 
ing around  her  and  seeing  no  one. 


iSS  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

"  I  am  Don't-Forget-Me,"  answered  the  little  voice, 
"and  my  silver  cage  is  just  behind  you.  T  belong  to 
Fairie  and  Brownie,  and  \'ou  must  not  fret,  Granny, 
for  they  are  well  and  happy,  and  are  busy  singing 
'Ding,  dong,  dell'  to  the  old  gentleman  this  very 
minute,   but  they  cannot  come  back   for  seven  years." 

"And  what  shall  I  do  all  that  time?  "  asked  the  poor 
old  woman. 

"Don't  be  afra'd,  Granny,"  answered  Don't-Forget- 
Me,  "but  take  me  to-morrow  to  the  Queen." 

Granny  did  as  she  was  bid.  She  took  Don't-Forget- 
Me  in  his  silver  cage  to  the  palace,  and  asked  to  show 
him  to  the  Queen.  Before  her  Majesty  could  say  a 
word,  the  young  Prince,  who  was  very  rude,  burst  out 
laughing,  and  said:  "  You  silly  old  woman,  what  does  the 
Queen  want  with  your  bird.?    What  can  he  do  for  her.-"' 

"  I  can  tell  the  Queen  that  you  broke  her  fan 
yesterday,"  said  Don't-Forget-Me. 

The  young  Prince  was  quite  frightened  when  he 
heard  this  little  bird  telling  what  he  had  done,  but  the 
Queen  was  both  surprised  and  delighted. 

"You  wonderful  bird,"  said  she,  "you  must  come 
and  live  in  my  palace,  and  talk  to  me  every  day." 


FAIRIE  AXD  nROU'XIE.  189 

Rwt  Don't-For:^ct-Mc  said  he  could  not  do  that  on 
an\-  account  ;  however,  if  the  Queen  would  build  iiini 
a  house  to  his  liking,  with  a  few  other  things  he  should 
tell  her  of,  he  should  not  mind  sta}'ing  in  it,  and 
letting  her  come  and  talk  to  him  every  morning. 
The  Queen  agreed  to  cver\'thing.  for  with  such  a  bird 
as  Don't-Forget-Me  to  advise  her,  she  knew  she  could 
do  without  her  ministers,  who  were  rather  trouble- 
some about  that  time. 

The  first  thing  Don't-Forget-!Me  asked  for  was,  that 
the  Queen  should  build  him  a  house  with  twent)'-four 
windows  on  every  side,  and  twenty-four  weather-cocks 
on  the  roof,  and  that  this  house  should  be  on  the 
spot  where  the  old  grandmother's  cottage  stood.  The 
next  thing  Don't-Forget-Me  asked  for  was,  a  large 
garden,  with  trees  and  flowers ;  and  last  of  all,  that 
his  Grann\-  should  take  care  of  him,  and  have  a  set 
of  servants  under  her,  to  keep  evcr)-thing  nice,  and 
in  order.  All  this  the  Queen  did  very  willingl}';  and 
every  morning  she  went  and  had  a  long  conversation 
with  Don't-Forget-Me,  who  told  her  all  she  was  to 
do,  and  who  made  quite  a  great  queen  of  her. 

When    Don't-Forget-Me    had    been    a    year    in    his 


IQO  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

new  house,  poor  old  Granny  died,  and  he  told  the 
Queen  she  must  find  him  a  Princess  to  take  care  of 
him.  The  Queen  had  some  trouble  in  <jetting  him  a 
Princess  to  his  liking,  but  she  did  find  one  at  last 
that  suited  him,  and  matters  went  on  very  comfort- 
ably, till  the  Queen  died  too,  and  the  young  Prince 
reigned  in  her  stead.  The  new  King  would  have  no- 
thing to  say  to  Don't- Forget-Me,  whom  he  hated,  but 
at  the  same  time,  he  feared  him  too  much  to  do  any- 
thing against  him.  So  Don't-Forget-Me  lived  in  his 
house  with  the  Princess  till  Fairie  and  Brownie  came 
back  from  Fairyland. 

The  Princess  was  very  much  surprised  to  find  that 
instead  of  staying  in  the  drawing-room  with  her,  Don't- 
Forget-Me  would  now  be  in  the  room  at  the  top  of 
the  house  with  the  two  little  girls.  He  told  her  that 
he  wanted  to  see  them  making  lace  out  of  cobwebs, 
and  as  after  all  he  was  the  master  of  the  house,  there 
was  no  gainsaying  him.  He  was  so  kind  to  Fairie 
and  Brownie  that  they  did  not  mind  being  locked  up, 
for  Don't-Forget-Me  told  them  the  most  beautiful 
fairy  tales,  and  he  taught  them  ever  so  many  things 
as  well,  and  the  two  sisters  were  as  happy  as  the  day 


FAtRlE  AXD  BKOU'Mi:.  191 

was  long,  till  they  grew  up  to  be  beautiful  young 
women.  All  these  years  they  spent  in  making  lace 
out  of  cobwebs,  till  there  was  scarcelx-  a  cobweb  to  be 
found  in  field  or  garden,  and  spiders  had  to  be  reared 
like  silkworms.  Their  lace  was  the  finest  and  the 
rarest  to  be  seen,  and  the  Princess  was  as  proud  as 
could  be  of  the  handsome  things  she  had  ;  but  she 
had  nothing  so  handsome  as  the  robe  and  veil  which 
each  of  the  sisters  made  for  her  own  wedding-day,  by 
the  advice  of  Don't-Forget-Me. 

"  But,  Don'l-Forget-Me,"  once  said  Fairie,  "  who  will 
ever  come  up  here  to  marry  us  ?  " 

"  Some  one  will  come  by  and  by,"  answered  Don't- 
Forgct-.Me  ;  "do  as  I  bid  you." 

The  Princess  had  two  sons,  who  had  gone  off  tra- 
velling to  see  the  world  the  very  day  before  that  on 
which  Fairie  and  Brownie  left  Fair)land.  These 
two  young  Princes  had  many  strange  adventures,  and 
saw  many  wonderful  things,  but  they  had  never  seen 
anything  more  wonderful  than  Don"t-F"orget-Me,  and 
when  they  came  back,  the  fir.st  thing  they  asked  of 
their  mother  was  :  "  Where  is  Don't-Forget-Me  .' " 

"He  is  busy,"  answered   the    Princess,   "you   cannot 


192  FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 

see  him  to-day;  besides  he  does  not  like  company  any 
longer." 

The  Princes  were  sorry  to  hear  this,  for  Don't- Forget- 
Me  had  been  ver\'  kind  to  them  formerly,  and  he  had 
told  them  all  about  Fairie  and  Brownie,  and  how  they 
were  to  come  back  from  Fairyland  when  their  seven 
years  were  out. 

"  I  shall  marry  Fairie,"  had  said  the  elder  one  of 
the  two  Princes,  "  I  like  her  best." 

"And  I  shall  marry  Brownie,"  said  his  brother,  "I 
like  her  best." 

"Very  well,"  said  Don't  Forget-Me ;  "but  you  must 
go  and  travel  first,  and  by  the  time  you  are  home 
again,  Fairie  and  Brownie  will  be  here." 

The  young  Princes  did  as  Don't-Forget-]\Ie  bade 
them,  and  when  the}'  came  back,  and  were  told  they 
could  not  see  him,  the  next  question  they  put  was: 
"  Have  not  Fairie  and  Brownie  left  Fairyland  yet  ?" 

But  their  mother  did  not  even  know  what  they 
meant,  for  she  had  never  heard  of  Fairie  and  Brownie. 
The  Princes  had  been  home  three  da\-s,  and  they  were 
wondering  to  each  other  in  what  part  of  the  house 
Don't-Forget-Me  was  to  be  found,  when,  as  they  were 


FAIR  IE  AXD  BROWXIE.  193 

walkinfj  in  the  garden,  they  heard  liim  talkincjr  to 
Fairie  and  Brownie,  who  had  left  the  window  of  their 
room  open. 

"Oh!  Don't- Forget-Mc,  where  are  you?"  cried  the 
Princes  from  below. 

"Come  up  to  the  top  of  the  house,"  he  answered  in 
his  little  clear  voice,  wliich  could  be  heard  ever  so  far, 
"and  open  the  first  door  }-ou  see,  and  you  will  find 
me  there." 

The  Princes  did  as  Don't-Forget-Me  told  them  ; 
they  went  up  to  the  top  of  the  house,  and  opened  the 
first  door  they  saw ;  for,  though  the  Princess  had 
locked  the  door,  she  had  forgotten  to  take  the  kc\'. 
When  the  Princes  entered  the  room,  they  looked  for 
Don't- Forget-Me ;  but,  instead  of  him,  they  saw  two 
beautiful  girls,  one  fair  and  one  dark,  who  were  making 
lace  out  of  cobwebs.  At  first  they  were  both  so  much 
amazed  that  they  could  not  say  one  word,  but  at 
length  the  elder  one  of  the  two  Princes,  looking  at 
Fairie,  said:  "Who  are  you,  and  where  do  you  come 
from  ? " 

"  I  am  Fairie,"  she  answered  ;  '*  that  is  my  sister 
Brownie,  and  we  come  from  Fairyland." 


194  FAIRIE  AND  BROWiXIE. 

"Then  if  you  are  Fairie,"  said  the  Prince,  "  Don't- 
Forget-Me  has  surely  told  you  that  you  are  to  marry 
me,  and  that  Brownie  is  to  marry  my  brother  there." 

"  Yes,"  said  Don't-Forget-Me,  in  his  cage  ;  "  I  have 
told  them  all  that,  and  their  wedding-dresses  are 
ready,  but  you  must  go  and  ask  the  Princess  for  her 
consent." 

The  Princes  lost  no  time  in  going  to  their  mother, 
and  telling  her  that  they  had  found  Fairie  and  Brownie, 
and  wished  to  marry  them. 

"Very  well,"  said  the  Princess;  "but  if  you  do 
marry  them,  I  must  have  Don't-Forget-Me." 

When  the  Princes  went  back  and  told  Fairie  and 
Brownie  this,  the  two  sisters  cried  out  that  they  liked 
the  Princes  very  much,  but  that  they  could  never 
part  with  Don't-Forget-Me,  who  had  been  so  good 
to  them  all  these  years. 

"  Do  as  I  bid  you,"  said  Don't-Forget-Me,  who  had 
been  listening  to  all  this,  "  and  tell  the  Princess  that 
you  will  not  give  me  up  till  you  are  married  ;  and 
that  then  you  must  open  my  cage,  take  me  out  and 
stroke  me  three  times,  and  kiss  me  twice,  before  you 
put  me  on  her  hand." 


How  1  iiuvo  you,'  iaiJ  sac." — Fagt  igij. 


FAIRIE  AXD  PROWXIE.  195 

Fa'rie  and  Brownie,  \vlio  knew  how  wise  Don't- 
For;^ct-Me  was,  did  as  he  bade  them  ;  and  the  Prin- 
cess was  so  glad  to  get  this  wonderful  bird,  that  she 
made  her  sons  marry  the  two  sisters  the  very  next 
morning.  Fairie  and  Brownie  put  on  their  beautiful 
lace  robes  and  veils,  and  Fairie's  wreath  of  roses, 
which  she  had  kept  all  these  jears,  turned  out  to  be 
diamonds,  and  Brownie's  necklace  of  berries  to  be 
rubies  ;  and  the  two  brides  looked  so  beautiful  and 
so  good,  that  every  one  said  how  happy  the  Princess 
ought  to  be  to  have  got  such  wives  for  her  sons. 

The  Princess  said  she  was  very  glad ;  but,  to  say 
the  truth,  it  was  because  she  was  to  get  Don't-Forget- 
J\Ie  that  she  was  so  pleased.  She  asked  for  him  as 
soon  as  the  wedding  was  over.  The  cage  was  brought 
down  to  the  drawing-room ;  and  when  the  Princess 
had  ordered  all  the  doors  and  windows  to  be  shut, 
Fairie  and  Brownie  opened  the  cage  and  took  out 
Don't-Forget-Me.  Each  stroked  him  three  times  and 
kissed  him  twice,  then  both  put  him  on  the  Princess' 
hand. 

"  Now  I  have  you,"  said  she.  But  even  as  she  spoke 
all  the  doors  and  windows  flew  wide  open. 


196 


FAIRIE  AND  BROWNIE. 


"  Good-bye,"  said  Don't-Forget-Me  ;  and  off  and 
away  he  flew  to  Fairyland,  where  he  has  remained 
ever  since,  and  all  that  the  Princess  had  of  him  was 
his  silver  cage.  She  was  in  great  trouble  at  first,  but 
Fairie  and  Brownie  comforted  her,  and  were  very  good 
and  kind  ;  and  they  were  all  very  happy  together  till 
they  died. 


X^^Mlii^/// 


©rfllo 


-r 


\\  ICRE    three    Princesses    once 
w  ho  were  ver}-  beautiful  and  vcrj' 


198  BATTY, 

proud.  Each  Princess  built  herself  a  palace  with  a 
turret  to  it.  When  the  turrets  were  nearly  finished, 
the  Princesses  having  heard  of  the  three  silver  bells  of 
Fairyland,  wished  to  have  them  to  roof  their  turrets 
with.  They  sent  out  a  proclamation,  offering  to  marry 
the  kings  who  would  get  the  bells  for  them.  No  kings, 
however,  caring  to  make  the  attempt,  the  Princesses 
said  they  would  take  up  with  princes.  When  this, 
too,  failed,  they  sent  out  a  third  proclamation,  saying 
they  would  marry  the  men  who  brought  them  the 
bells,  no  matter  who  and  what  they  might  be.  Upon 
this,  a  great  many  young  men  set  off  for  Fairyland,  and 
tried  to  get  in,  and  bring  back  the  bells,  in  order  to 
marry  the  Princesses;  but  they  all  failed,  no  doubt,  for 
not  one  of  them  ever  appeared  again.  So  the  Princesses 
remained  unmarried,  and  the  turrets  unroofed,  and  all 
on  account  of  the  three  silver  bells  of  Fairyland. 

Well,  about  this  very  same  time  there  lived  a  poor 
Woodcutter  and  his  wife,  who  had  three  sons.  The  first 
was  big  Billy,  the  second  was  bigger  Billy,  and  the  third 
was  biggest  Billy.  When  the  first  Billy  was  born,  the 
Woodcutter  said :  "  What  a  fine  child."  When  the 
second  Billy  came,  the  Woodcutter  said :  "  That  child  is 


BATTV.  199 

very  large;"  but  when  he  saw  the  third  Billy,  the  poor 
Woodcutter  cried  out :  "  This  is  a  Giant  !  How  shall  I 
ever  feed  him  and  his  brothers?"  Indeed  the  three 
boys  sj^rew  up  so  tall,  so  stout,  and  so  large,  that  every 
one  called  them  the  Giants  ;  and  they  were  as  awkward 
and  as  ungainl}'  as  they  were  big.  They  were  good  for 
nothing,  said  their  father,  but  to  mar  his  work,  fill  the 
place,  and  eat  him  out  of  house  and  home.  There  were 
a  great  many  bats  in  the  old  tower,  and  looking  at  them, 
the  Woodcutter  used  to  say  :  "  I  would  rather  have  a 
bat  for  a  child  than  another  Billy." 

The  tower  stood  on  the  borders  of  a  forest,  which  was 
close  to  Fairyland.  The  fairies  thought  they  would 
give  the  Woodcutter  his  wish,  and  the  next  child  his 
wife  had,  instead  of  being  a  girl,  was  the  prettiest  little 
bat  in  the  world.  The  Woodcutter  was  very  angry  at 
first,  but  his  wife  said  to  him  :  "  I  wonder  at  you.  Bats 
are  dear  little  things  to  begin  with,  and  this  is  the 
dearest  little  bat  I  ever  saw.  Besides,  you  will  see  how 
nice  it  will  look  when  I  have  dressed  it." 

The  Woodcutter's  wife  made  her  little  bat  a  pair  of 
red  mittens  and  a  pair  of  red  stockings,  and  when  she 
had  them  on,  she  looked  so  well  and  so  pretty  in  them, 


200  BATTY. 

that  her  father  began  to  like  her.  The  Giants,  too,  were 
very  fond  of  Batty,  and  helped  to  nurse  her  until  she 
was  strong  enough  to  fly.  She,  too,  was  very  fond  of 
them,  and  would  hang  from  them  v/hen  she  wanted  a 
nod  in  the  daytime,  or  wheel  about  their  heads  of  an 
evening;  but  after  all,  there  was  nothing  she  liked  so 
well  as  sleeping  in  the  old  tower  all  day,  and  flitting 
about  it  at  night.  She  got  on  very  well  with  the  other 
bats,  for  though  they  were  all  much  older  than  she  was, 
they  thought  a  great  deal  of  her  on  account  of  her  red 
mittens. 

The  Woodcutter  liked  Batty,  chiefly  because  she  gave 
him  no  trouble,  and  cost  him  nothing,  but  the  three  poor 
Billies  he  hated  more  and  more. 

"  They  are  good  for  nothing,  but  to  sleep,  eat,  and 
drink,"  he  would  say.  "  If  they  had  any  spirit,  they 
would  never  stay  here.  If  they  can  do  nothing  else, 
can't  they  go  for  the  three  silver  bells  of  Fairyland  .'" 

"  But  if  they  do,  I  shall  never  see  them  again,"  said 
the  Woodcutter's  wife,  crying. 

Batty,  who  was  hanging  by  her  heels  in  a  dark  corner 
of  the  room,  heard  all  this,  and  wondered  what  it 
meant. 


B.4  TTY.  2ot 

"  Mother,"  said  she,  as  soon  as  her  father  was  out, 
"what  are  the  three  silver  bells  of  Fairyland,  and  why 
does  father  want  my  brothers  to  go  for  them  ?" 

Her  mother  then  told  her  the  story  of  the  three 
Princesses  who  had  offered  to  marry  the  young  men 
who  would  bring  them  back  the  bells  with  which  they 
wished  to  roof  their  turrets.  "But  if  my  Billies  goto 
Fairyland,"  said  the  Woodcutter's  wife,  "  I  know  I  shall 
never  see  them  again." 

"  Do  not  fret,  mother,"  said  Batty  ;  "  if  my  brothers 
go  to  Fairyland,  I  shall  go  with  them,  and  bring  them 
safe  home." 

This  comforted  the  Woodcutter's  wife  a  little,  for  she 
knew  that  Batty  was  very  clever,  and  could  take  good 
care  of  the  Giants.  Batty  went  at  once  to  an  old  bat 
who  lived  in  the  tower,  and  asked  her  how  she  was  to 
go  to  Fairyland. 

"  It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world,"  answered  the 
old  bat  ;  "wait  till  the-moon  is  up,  get  on  a  moonbeam, 
and  it  will  take  you  straight  to  Fairyland." 

Batty  did  as  the  old  bat  told  her.  She  waited  till 
the  moon  was  up,  got  on  a  moonbeam,  and  soon  found 
herself  in  Fair\-land,  close  to  the  King's  palace.     She 


202  BA  TTY. 

saw  the  three  silver  bells  in  a  belfry,  shining  in  the 
moonlight,  and  she  was  flitting  about  them,  when  the 
fairy,  whose  business  it  was  to  watch  the  bells,  cried 
out :  "  Who  goes  there  ?  " 

"  Little  Batty,"  said  she. 

"  What  brings  you  here  ?  " 

"  I  came  to  see  the  silver  bells." 

"  That's  all  very  well,"  said  the  fairy,  "but  the  King 
must  have  a  look  at  you." 

He  took  Batty  before  the  King  and  the  Queen  of  the 
Fairies,  who,  as  soon  as  they  saw  her,  cried  out,  "  Why, 
that  is  little  Batty.  We  know  her  by  her  red  mittens. 
Well,  Batty,  so  you  have  come  to  see  Fairyland  ;  and 
what  do  you  think  of  it  .'*  " 

"I  think  I  never  saw  so  fine  a  place,"  said  Batty; 
"but  may  it  please  your  Majesties  to  tell  me  what  is  the 
use  of  these  silver  bells  up  in  the  belfry  .'*  " 

"  These  bells,"  said  the  King,  "  are  to  waken  us  in  the 
morning ;  to  call  us  to  dinner  at  noon  ;  and  to  send  us 
to  sleep  at  night.  Would  you  like  the  Queen  to  let  you 
have  a  look  at  them,  Batty  .''  " 

Batty  answered  that  she  would  very  much  like  to  see 
the  bells,  so  the  Queen  took  her  up  to  the  belfry,  showed 


i?.  /  TTY.  203 

her  the  bells,  and  then  said,  "  I  think  you  had  better  go 
now,  Batt\'.  We  like  you  very  well,  but  we  want  no 
strangers  here.  Come,  get  up  on  the  moonbeam  and  be 
off." 

Batty  got  up  on  the  moonbeam,  and  she  was  at  home 
in  the  old  tower  long  before  day.  No  one  asked  her 
where  she  had  been,  and  Batty  said  nothing  about  it. 

The  older  the  Giants  grew,  the  more  they  slept,  ate, 
and  drank,  and  the  more  their  father  disliked  them.  At 
length  he  told  them  one  evening  that  they  must  go  out 
into  the  world  and  seek  their  fortunes  there. 

"  How  are  we  to  seek  our  fortunes?  "  asked  the  three 
Billie.s. 

"  Go  to  Fair\-land,  get  the  three  silver  bells,  and 
marr\'  the  three  Princesses,"  answered  their  father  ;  and 
he  turned  them  out  of  the  tower,  and  locked  the  door 
upon  them,  without  even  letting  them  bid  their  mother 
good-b\'e. 

"  Do  not  fret,  mother,"  said  little  Batty,  flying  out 
of  the  window  after  her  brothers,  "  I  shall  bring  thcin 
safe  home." 

"  Batty,"  said  Big  Billy,  "  do  you  know  the  way  to 
Fair)  land  ?" 


204  BATTY. 

"  It  is  up  a  moonbeam,"  answered  Batty  ;  "  but  you 
are  all  three  too  big  to  get  up  on  a  moonbeam.  You 
must  let  me  go  there  alone,  and  wait  here  in  the  forest 
till  I  come  back." 

The  Giants  agreed  to  this.  Batty  got  up  on  a  moon- 
beam, and  went  ofif  to  Fairyland,  whilst  they  stayed  in 
the  forest  and  went  to  sleep  ;  this  they  did  standing, 
each  leaning  against  a  tree;  for  as  their  father  had  no 
beds  large  enough  for  them,  he  had  accustomed  them 
to  sleep  so,  resting  against  the  wall. 

When  Batty  got  off  the  moonbeam  this  time,  she 
found  that  she  was  close  to  the  moon.  She  thought  that 
it  looked  very  dull,  "  I  must  see  what  is  the  matter 
with  that  moon,"  said  she  to  herself.  She  opened  it, 
looked  in,  and  saw  that  it  was  sadly  in  want  of  cleaning. 

"  Well,  I  am  sure,"  thought  Batty  ;  "  I  wonder  at  the 
fairies,  I  do,  to  keep  their  moon  so  untidy." 

She  shut  up  the  moon  aga'n,  and  went  to  the  King's 
palace.  She  peeped  in  at  the  window  of  a  room  in 
which  the  King  and  the  Queen  were  talking  together, 
and  heard  what  they  were  saying.  Fairies  are  such 
fickle  creatures  that  they  are  always  changing  every- 
thing- and  one  of  their  great  fancies  is  to  widen  or  to 


fiAlTY.  205 

narrow  Fairyland  as  their  wliini  may  be.  Now,  the 
Kin<;  wanted  Fairyland  to  be  widened,  and  the  Queen 
wanted  it  to  be  narrowed  that  very  night,  for  it  is  only 
at  night  when  the  moon  is  down  that  the  fairies  can  do 
this,  and  that  was  what  they  were  talking  about. 

*'  Fairyland  is  already  too  large  as  it  is,"  said  the 
Queen,  "  the  fairies  are  always  gadding  about." 

"  I  shall  not  widen  it  much,"  said  the  King,  "  I  shall 
only  take  in  the  big  oak  in  the  forest  to  pass  a  review 
under  it,  and  when  the  review  is  over,  we  can  narrow 
Fairyland  back  again,  and  put  the  big  oak  out  to- 
morrow night  as  soon  as  the  moon  is  down." 

The  Queen  agreed  to  this,  and  Batty  having  heard 
enough,  got  up  on  the  moonbeam  again,  and  went  off 
to  the  forest.  She  woke  her  brothers,  and  making  them 
stand  against  the  great  oak-tree,  she  bade  them  wait 
there  till  they  found  themselves  in  Fairyland. 

"And  mind,"  said  Batty,  "that  you  do  not  stir  hand 
or  foot  till  you  hear  the  three  silver  bells  tinkle,  for  once 
it  is  day  the  fairies  cannot  turn  you  out  till  night  comes 
rotmd  again." 

The  three  Billies,  who  knew  how  wise  Batty  was, 
promised  to  obey  her,  and  in  order  not  to  be  tempted 


2o6  BATTY 

to  leave  the  great  oak-tree,  they  went  fast  asleep  as 
soon  as  they  stood  leaning  against  it. 

The  moment  the  silver  bells  rang,  the  King  of  the 
Fairies  went  to  look  at  the  tree,  and  the  Queen  went 
with  him.  When  they  saw  the  three  Giants  standing 
against  the  oak,  and  still  fast  asleep,  they  were  amazed 
and  disgusted.  They  did  not  know  what  to  do  with 
such  big  creatures,  and  they  went  home  to  the  palace  to 
consult  together  on  the  matter. 

"  That  comes  of  taking  in  the  great  oak,"  said  the 
Queen. 

"  Never  mind  the  great  oak  now,"  said  the  King  ; 
"  but  since  we  cannot  turn  these  monsters  out  before 
night,  what  are  we  to  do  with  them  in  the  meanwhile." 

The  Queen  said  one  thing  and  the  King  said  another 
thing,  and  they  were  beginning  to  quarrel,  when  Batty, 
who  was  flitting  near  the  window,  put  in  her  word. 

"  If  you  please,  those  are  my  three  brothers,"  said 
Batty  ;  "  and  you  can  make  them  very  useful  if  you 
like." 

"  And  pray  who  are  you  }  "  asked  the  Queen, 

"  If  you  please  I  am  little  Batty." 

'  Then  show  me  your  red  mittens." 


FATTY.  207 

Batty  showed  her  red  mittens,  and  the  Oucen  was 
satisfied.  Still  she  said,  "  That  is  all  very  well, 
Batty  ;  but  your  brothers  are  too  big  to  be  of  any  use 
to  us.'* 

"  If  }-ou  please,"  said  Ratty,  "I  liave  seen  that  Fairy- 
land is  rather  untid\-,  and  my  brothers  could  clean  it  up 
for  you  in  no  time.  Besides  you  have  been  taking  in  a 
great  many  insects  with  the  oak,  ants,  caterpillars,  and 
the  like,  and  my  brothers  will  catch  and  destroy  them 
every  one." 

The  King  and  Queen  did  not  much  like  that,  but  as 
they  could  not  turn  out  the  Giants  till  it  was  night  again, 
they  agreed  to  make  them  useful  for  that  day. 

When  the  bells  had  just  done  ringing  the  Giants 
awoke.  Batty  took  them  at  once  to  the  King,  who  set 
them  to  work. 

"  And  be  quick  about  it  too,"  said  the  King;  "  for  you 
have  only  this  day  to  do  it  in  ;  out  of  Fairyland  }-ou  go 
to-night." 

The  three  Billies  began  cleaning  up  Fairyland,  and 
hunting  all  the  ants  and  caterpillars  that  had  come  in 
w'rh  the  great  oak  ;  but  when  the  King  saw  the  clumsy 
way  they  set  about  it,  he  cried  out,  "  Stop,  stop  ;    you 


2c8  BATTY. 

are  rooting  up  all  the  trees,  and  treading  on  ali  the 
fences.     That  will  never  do  1  " 

Then  he  called  Batty,  and  scolded  her  finely  for  all 
the  mischief  her  brothers  were  doing.  Poor  Batty  went 
off  to  the  three  Giants,  but  she  found  that  if  the  King 
was  not  pleased  with  them,  they  were  not  pleased  with 
the  King;  for  the  moment  they  saw  her  they  cried  out, 
"  Batty,  we  are  starving.  The  King  gives  us  nothing  to 
eat  but  honey  and  dew.  That  will  never  do  for  us  ;  out 
of  Fairyland  we  go  to-night." 

"  Ah  !  but  think  of  the  silver  bells,"  said  Batty. 

"  We  do  not  care  about  the  silver  bells,"  answered 
the  Giants  ;  "we  want  to  eat." 

"  Would  you  like  fish .'  "  asked  Batty. 

The  Giants  answered  they  would  like  anything  that 
was  not  honey  and  dew,  but  that  eat  they  must. 

Batty  went  back  to  the  King.  "  May  it  please  your 
Majesty,"  said  she,  "  I  can  see  that  the  large  fish  pond 
in  front  of  your  palace  wants  cleaning.  My  brothers 
could  clean  it  for  you  to-day,  whilst  you  are  reviewing 
your  army  under  the  big  oak  tree." 

"  I  don't  know  that  the  pond  wants  cleaning,"  said  tht; 
King. 


BATTY.  209 

"  Yes,  it  does,"  said  the  Queen,  "  and  Batty's  brothers 
will  do  it  beautifully." 

So  off  the  King  and  the  Queen  went  to  the  review  ; 
and  whilst  they  were  away  the  three  Billies  cleaned  the 
pond — and  ate  ail  tlie  fish. 

"Well,  have  }'ou  had  enough  ?  "  asked  Batty. 

"Enough  I"  said  the  Giants,  "we  are  as  hungry  as 
ever.  You  must  get  us  out  of  Fairyland  to-night,  or  we 
shall  starve  outright,  Batt}-." 

Batty  had  something  to  do  to  persuade  them  to  try 
Fairyland  for  one  night  more ;  and  when  they  had 
agreed  to  stay,  the  King  came  back,  saw  that  his  fish 
was  gone,  and  called  Batty  to  give  her  another  scolding. 
Batty  begged  his  pardon,  said  her  brothers  were  very 
hungry,  and  promised  that  they  would  never  do  it 
again. 

"  Of  course  not,"  said  the  King,  "  all  the  fish  is  eaten. 
Bid  \-our  brothers  not  stir  from  the  oak  tree,  for  out  of 
Fair\-land  they  go  with  it  to-night." 

"  That  is  a  pity,"  replied  Batty,  "  for  if  my  brothers 
go  I  must  go  too.  Yet  I  see  the  moon  is  very  dull  here, 
and  I  could  clean  it  up  for  you,  if  you  gave  me  some- 
thing handsome." 


2IO  PATTY. 

"Dear  me,"  said  the  Queen,  "clean  the  moon  up! 
How  nice  that  would  be-  The  moon  is  dull,  as  Batt>' 
says,  and  we  can  scarcely  see  to  dance  at  night.  And 
how  will  you  clean  the  moon,  Batty  ?  " 

Batty  said  she  would  rather  not  tell,  but  she  knew 
she  could  do  it,  if  she  got  something  handsome. 
"  Something  to  take  away  out  of  Fairyland  as  a  keep- 
sake," said  Batty. 

The  Queen  was  mad  for  getting  the  moon  cleaned, 
and  she  persuaded  the  King  into  having  it  done  that 
very  night.  She  also  promised  Batty  to  let  her  take 
away  whatever  she  pleased  out  of  Fairyland. 

As  soon  as  it  was  night,  Batty  flew  up  to  the  moon, 
opened  it,  got  in,  and  cleaned  it  thoroughly  with  her 
wings,  till  it  was  as  bright  as  bright  could  be  ;  and  all 
the  fairies  who  were  looking  on  below  clapped  their 
hands,  they  were  so  glad  to  see  the  moon  shine  as  it  had 
never  shone  before.  When  the  moon  was  quite  clean. 
Batty  came  down  to  the  King  and  the  Queen  of  the 
Fairies,  and  dropping  them  a  curtsey,  she  said,  "  Please, 
have  I  cleaned  the  moon  to  your  liking  1  " 

"  You  have  cleaned  it  beautifully,"  said  they,  "  and 
now  make  haste  and  mention  the  keepsake  you   wish 


BAT7Y.  211 

for.  We  like  you  very  well,  Batty,  but  we  shall  narrow 
Fair\land  as  soon  as  the  moon  is  down,  and  the  big  oak 
and  your  brothers  must  all  be  back  in  the  forest  b}-  peep 
of  da}-." 

"  Then,  please,"  answered  Batty,  '*  I  will  have  the 
three  silver  bells  in  the  belfr\'  above  the  palace." 

"The  bells  1  our  bells!"  cried  the  King  and  the 
Queen;  "why,  Batty,  don't  you  know  that  we  can 
neither  waken  in  the  morning,  nor  eat  at  noon,  nor 
sleep  at  night  if  we  do  not  hear  our  bells  1  Ask  for 
something  else." 

Batty  said  the\-  had  promised  her  what  she  liked,  that 
she  liked  the  bells,  and  nothing  but  the  bells  would  she 
have. 

"  Nonsense,"  said  the  King  and  the  Queen,  "  we  can- 
not do  without  our  bells,  so  you  must  think  of  some- 
thing else  that  we  can  give  you,  Batty." 

With  that  they  went  off  to  dance  b\'  the  light  of  the 
moon,  which  Batty  had  cleaned  so  well.  All  the  fairies, 
young  and  old,  went  after  them,  and  the  fairy  who 
watched  the  bells  went  to  dance  with  the  rest. 

Batty  flew  at  once  to  the  great  oak-tree,  and  bade  Big 
Billy  come  with  her  to  the  palace.      When  they  were 


212  BATTY. 

there  Batty  got  up  into  one  of  the  bells,  hung  from  the 
clapper,  so  that  it  should  make  no  noise,  then  said, 
''  Big  Billy,  take  down  that  bell,  put  it  on,  wrap  it  round 
you,  walk  with  it  to  the  great  oak-tree,  stay  there,  and 
do  not  stir." 

Big  Billy  did  as  he  was  bid.  He  stood  on  tiptoe,  took 
down  the  bell,  put  it  on,  rolled  himself  well  into  it,  then 
walked  to  the  great  oak-tree,  and  stood  there  as  quiet  as 
any  mouse.  Batty  then  got  out  of  the  bell,  took  Bigger 
Billy  to  the  palace,  and  hanging  from  the  clapper  of  the 
second  bell,  she  made  him  take  it  down.  This  he  did 
quite  easil}-,  being  taller  than  his  brother.  Bigger  Billy 
having  put  on  the  bell,  wrapped  himself  well  in  it, 
walked  off  with  it  to  the  great  oak-tree,  and  stood  there 
as  quiet  as  any  mouse.  When  this  was  done,  Batty  and 
Biggest  Billy  went  for  the  third  bell,  which  he  picked 
up,  he  was  so  tall.  He  put  it  on,  wrapped  himself  in 
it,  took  it  to  the  great  oak-tree,  and  stayed  there  as 
quiet  as  any  mouse,  whilst  Batty  flitted  about  to  see 
that  all  was  right. 

The  Giants  slept  till  sunrise,  then  they  awoke,  and 
called  out:  "Batty,  are  we  out  of  Fairyland,  and  can 
we  take  off  our  bells  .''   we  are  so  hungry  1" 


BATTY.  213 

"  Vou  are  out  of  Fairyland,"  answered  Batt}' ;  "but 
you  must  not  think  of  eating  yet.  You  must  keep  on 
the  bell-s  and  walk  straight  on  till  you  come  to  the 
palaces  of  the  Princesses.  You  cannot  miss  the  way ; 
the  bells  know  all  about  it.  As  soon  as  you  are  married 
to  the  Princesses,  you  may  roof  the  turrets  with  the 
bells,  but  mind  you  do  not  roof  the  turrets  first.  And 
now  I  shall  go  and  take  a  nod  somewhere,  for  I  cannot 
bear  daylight,  and  I  feel  very  sleepy." 

The  Giants  did  as  Batty  bade  them.  The}-  walked 
straight  on,  and  never  took  off  the  bells  till  thc>-  came 
to  the  palaces  of  the  three  Princesses,  who  nearly  went 
wild  with  joy  when  the\'  saw  the  silver  bells  they  had 
wished  for  so  long. 

"Oh!  \ou  dear,  good  Giants,"  they  cried,  "what  shall 
we  do  for  you  V 

Tiie  three  Billies  answered  in  a  breath:  "Give  us 
something  to  eat.  We  come  from  Fair\-land,  where  all 
we  had  was  honey  and  dew,  and  a  little  fish." 

"  Poor  fellow-s,"  said  the  three  Princesses,  "you  shall 
have  plenty  to  eat;  but  will  you  not  roof  our  turrets 
with  the  bells  whilst  your  dinner  is  getting  ready.'" 

The  three  Giants  were  very  good-natured,  and  they 


214  BATTY. 

did  as  the  ]''rincesses  bade  tliem.  They  roofed  the 
turrets  with  the  bells,  then  sat  down  to  dinner.  When 
dinner  was  over,  and  they  had  eaten  enough,  they  asked 
the  Princesses  to  marry  them ;  but  the  Princesses  only 
laughed  at  them. 

"  Marry  you,"  said  they,  "  who  ever  heard  of  Prin- 
cesses marrying  Giants!  No,  no:  but  if  you  will  stay 
and  watch  the  bells,  we  will  give  you  plenty  to  eat,  and 
that  will  do  very  well  for  you." 

The  Giants  were  rather  vexed  at  being  tricked,  but 
they  were  very  easy  Giants,  and  they  did  not  know 
what  to  do,  so  they  agreed  to  stay  and  watch  the 
bells. 

When  Batty  had  taken  a  long  sleep,  she  thought 
she  would  like  to  know  how  her  brothers  were 
getting  on.  So  she  flew  and  flew  till  she  came  to  the 
three  palaces,  and  there  she  found  the  three  Billies,  not 
married  to  the  Princesses,  but  each  sitting  in  a  turret 
and  each  watching  a  bell. 

"Oh,  that's  the  way  the  Princesses  keep  their  word, 
is  it !"  said  Batty  ;  "  well,  I  shall  soon  settle  that." 

Up  she  got  on  a  moonbeam,  for  it  was  a  fine  moon- 
light night,  and  off  she  went  to  Fairyland.     She  found 


"  They  roofed  the  turrets  with  the  bells,  then  sat  Jowii  to  dinner." — }'>i);e  214. 


BAllY.  215 

the  King  and  the  Queen  and  all  the  fairies  in  such  a 
commotion  as  had  never  been,  for  the  loss  of  the  three 
silver  bells.  As  soon  as  they  saw  her,  they  all  cried  out : 
*'  Oh  !  Batty,  Batty,  what  have  you  done !  You  have 
taken  our  bells,  and  we  can  neither  waken,  nor  eat,  nor 
sleep  till  we  get  them  back  again.  Only  tell  us  where 
our  bells  are,  Batty,  and  you  shall  have  three  wishes 
from  us.     Will  you  be  a  beautiful  girl,  Batty .' " 

"Thank  you,"  answered  Batty;  "but  I  like  flitting 
about  at  night,  and  hanging  from  my  heels  in  the  day, 
and  if  I  were  a  beautiful  girl,  I  could  not  do  that ;  so  I 
think  I  shall  stay  as  I  am,  if  you  please." 

"Then,  what  will  you  have,  Batty,  to  tell  us  where 
the  bells  are  V  cried  all  the  fairies. 

"  Well,"  said  Batty,  "  my  brothers  are  very  fine  men, 
but  they  are  rather  big.  I  should  like  them  to  be 
shorter." 

"  Done  !  "  cried  all  the  fairies;  "  and  now  where  are  the 
bells  t " 

"  Wait  a  bit,"  said  Batty,  "  my  brothers  are  very  good- 
natured,  but  they  are  very  stupid.  I  should  like  them 
to  be  clever." 

The  fairies  again  cried   "Done!"  and   asked    Batty 


2i6.  BATTY. 

what  more  she  would  have  to  tell  them  where  the  bells 
were. 

"  I  shall  think  it  over,"  said  Batty.  "  As  to  the  bells, 
they  are  roofing  the  three  turrets  of  the  three  palaces 
belonging  to  the  three  Princesses  who  were  to  marry  my 
three  brothers,  but  would  not." 

When  the  fairies  heard  this,  they  were  as  wild  with 
joy  as  the  Princesses  had  been  when  they  got  the  bells  ; 
and  as  the  moon  was  down,  they  widened  Fairyland  at 
once  ;  and  the  bells,  the  palaces,  the  Princesses,  and 
the  three  Billies  were  all  in  before  you  could  have  said 
Jack  Robinson. 

"I  declare,"  said  Batty  to  her  brothers,  "you  are  no 
longer  Giants,  but  as  handsome,  well-sized,  and  clever- 
looking  men  as  I  ever  saw." 

"  Take  off  these  bells  and  put  them  back  in  the  belfry 
of  my  palace,"  said  the  King  of  the  Fairies. 

"  Yes  ;  and  we  will  keep  the  palaces  lest  any  one 
should  be  tempted  to  steal  our  bells  again,"  said  the 
Queen. 

"Just  so,"  said  the  King;  "and  since  the  Princesses 
were  so  fond  of  our  bells,  why  they  shall  stay  and  ring 
them  for  us." 


BATTY.  217 

VVlien  the  Princesses  heard  that  they  were  to  remain 
ill  Fairyland  for  ever  and  ring  the  bells  there,  they  cried 
and  wrung  their  hands,  and  were  distracted  with  grief, 
and  begged  very  hard  to  be  allowed  to  go  back  to  the 
world  again. 

"  No  ;  we  cannot  let  you  go,"  said  the  King.  "  And, 
indeed,  I  shall  keep  Batty  and  her  brothers,  too.  Batty 
will  clean  the  moon  for  us  when  it  gets  dull  again,  and 
her  brothers  are  so  clever  now  that  they  will  be  quite 
useful.^' 

"  Stop  a  bit,"  cried  Batty,  "  you  owe  me  a  wish  yet 
for  telling  you  where  the  bells  were,  well  then  please  to 
let  my  brothers  and  me  out  of  Fairyland." 

"  Oh,  please  take  us  with  you  1  "  cried  the  three 
Princesses  to  the  three  Giants.  "  Only  get  us  out  of 
Fairyland  and  we  will  marry  you  directly." 

But  it  was  too  late. 

"  Done  1  "  had  cried  all  the  fairies,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment Batt\'  and  her  brothers  were  in  the  old  tower 
again. 

The  Woodcutter  and  his  wife  were  both  as  glad  as 
glad  could  be  to  see  their  children. 

"I   knew  travelling  would   do   you    good,"  said   their 


2l8 


£A  TTY. 


father  to  the  three  BiUies  ;  and,  indeed,  the  brothers  were 
so  clever  now  that  they  got  on  famously  and  became 
great  men  in  no  time.  Batty,  too,  was  very  happy  ;  but 
she  had  her  wish,  and  remained  Batty  all  the  days  of 
her  life. 


0). 


JMI- 


jiiiu  m  ^m^     rm 


RINCE    CRYSTAL    and 

Princess  Crystal  his  wife  were 
a  great  Prince  and  Princess,  They  were  very  fond  of 
one  another,  but  could  never  be  of  the  same  mind  ; 
for  Prince  Crystal  was  all  for  soldiering,  drilling,  and 
fighting,  and  Princess  Crj'stal  was  all  for  fiddling, 
dancing,  and   merrymaking.     When  their  only  ch.ild — 


220  FEATHER  HEAD. 

a  bo\- — was  born,  they  both  declared  he  was  the  love- 
liest of  babies,  but  could  not  agree  at  all  about  the 
name  the\'  should  give  him, 

"Let  Baby  have  a  fairy  godmother,"  said  the  old 
King,  "and  she  will  settle  that  matter." 

"  The  very  thing,"  said  Prince  Crystal,  "  we  will  ask 
Poppy  to  name  the  child." 

"  Not  Poppy,"  said  the  Princess,  "  she  is  spiteful ;  let 
us  go  to  Fancy  Tansy." 

But  Prince  Crystal  said  that  Fancy  Tansy  was 
stingy,  and  that  Poppy  was  generous  when  she  was 
in  a  good  humour;  "and  if  we  take  Baby  with  us," 
said  the  Prince,  "  she  will  not  only  give  him  a  name, 
but  present  him  with  some  fairy  gift  or  other." 

The  Princess  still  wanted  to  have  Fancy  Tansy 
for  the  child's  godmother ;  but  the  old  King  thought 
a  fairy  gift  was  worth  having,  and  Prince  Crystal  had 
his  way.  The  Prince  and  Princess  found  Poppy  at 
liome,  but  very  much  out  of  temper.  The  cat  had  got 
into  her  study,  and  spilt  a  fairy  wash  which  she  had 
been  three  hundred  years  in  making,  and  which  would 
have  been  the  finest  thing  in  the  world  for  tan  and 
freckles  in  two  hundred  years  more. 


FEATHER  HEAD.  221 

"  Well,"  said  she  quite  crossly,  when  she  saw  the 
Prince  and  Princess  and  the  Baby,  "  what  do  you 
want,  and  what  have  you  got  there  ?" 

Prince  Crystal  told  her  what  brought  them,  and 
a.sked  her  so  politely  to  give  a  name  to  Baby  that 
Poppy  became  more  gracious,  and  answered  quite- 
kindly:  "Come  with  me,  and  I  will  give  Baby  a  name 
and  something  along  with  it." 

She  took  them  to  the  room  in  which  she  kept  her 
fairy  gifts.  They  were  very  valuable,  but  not  all 
pretty  to  look  at,  and  Princess  Crystal  was  quite  dis- 
appointed as  she  saw  them. 

"  These  are  not  things  for  babies,  my  dear,"  said 
Poppy.  "  Indeed,  I  have  only  three  gifts  left  which 
would  do  for  your  boy  —  this  pair  of  boots,  this 
sword,  and  this  cap  ;  you  may  take  which  you  like 
best." 

The  boots  were  scarlet,  and  very  pretty  ;  the  sword 
had  a  gold  scabbard  enamelled  with  green  ;  and  the 
cap  was  the  loveliest  blue  satin  cap  that  had  ever  been 
seen  ;  and  though  they  were  all  the  size  just  fit  for  a 
baby,  "  they  were  to  grow  with  him  and  last  him  his 
life,"  said  Poppy. 


222  FEATHER  HEAD. 

Prince  Crystal  looked  at  the  sword.  "  I  shall  take 
that,"  said  he. 

"  Whoever  heard  of  a  sword  for  a  baby  ?  "  cried  the 
Princess  ;  "  besides  the  cap   is  much  prettier." 

"  Have  the  boots,"  said  Poppy. 

"Why  so.?  "  asked  the  Prince. 

"Never  mind,  have  the  boots." 

When  the  Prince  and  Princess  heard  Poppy  advising 
them  to  take  the  boots,  they  made  sure  this  must  be 
the  worst  gift  of  the  three,  and  the  Prince  wanted 
the  sword  and  the  Princess  the  cap  more  than  ever. 
They  nearly  quarrelled  about  it,  but  Princess  Crystal 
at  last  won  the  day,  and  the  blue  satin  cap  was  put 
on  Baby's  head.  Fairy  Poppy  was  very  much  dis- 
pleased  that  her  advice  had  not  been  taken  ;  but  she 
pretended  not  to  care,  and  as  they  were  going  awa}-, 
she  took  a  white  feather,  stuck  it  in  the  Baby's  cap, 
and  said,  "  There  now,  you  have  had  your  way,  and 
much  good    may  it   do    \-ou." 

The  Prince  and  Princess  were  scarcely  out  of  the 
Fairy's  palace  when  they  remembered  that  Poppy  had 
not  named  the  child  after  all.  She  was  such  a 
touchy   fairy,  and    so    apt  to  take  offence,   that   the^^ 


FEATHER  I/EAD.  223 

did  not  venture  to  go  back  to  lier,  but  they  began 
quarrelling  as  usual,  each  blaming  the  other  for 
having  forgotten  the  very  tiling  they  came  for. 

"  It  is  all  on  account  of  that  blue  cap  and  feather," 
said  the  Prince.  "  I  shall  never  call  Baby  an\-thing 
but  Feather  Head." 

"  Well,"  answered  the  Princess,  who  was  so  pleased 
with  the  cap  that  she  cared  about  nothing  else,  "  I 
think  Feather  Head    is  as   good  a   name  as   any." 

The  old  King  was  delighted  with  the  cap,  and  he 
agreed  with  Princess  Crystal  that  it  was  most  becoming 
to  Baby.  Indeed,  they  both  thought  that  he  looked  too 
well  with  it  ever  to  take  it  off,  so  Baby  kept  his  cap  on 
night  and  day,  for,  being  a  fairy  cap,  it  always  looked 
quite  fresh  and  new. 

Feather  Head  grew  up  to  be  a  very  handsome  and 
clever  young  Prince,  but  his  temper  was  like  the  feather 
in  his  cap  :  whichever  way  the  wind  blew  went  Feather 
Head.  He  could  never  stay  long  at  one  thing,  and 
when  a  fancy  crossed  his  mind,  he  thought  of  nothing 
else,  however  wild  and  foolish  it  might  be.  When  he 
took  his  hat  off  to  have  his  hair  combed  and  brushed, 
I-'eather  Head   became  so  sensible  that   no  one  could 


224  FEA'IHER  HEAD. 

believe  he  was  the  same  Prince,  but  the  moment  his  cap 
was  on  again,  Feather  Head  became  as  wild  as  ever. 
The  worst  of  it  was,  that  having  always  heard  his 
mother  say  he  never  looked  so  handsome  as  when  he 
wore  his  cap,  he  could  not  bear  to  have  it  off  his  head, 
and  unless  in  very  hot  weather,  he  actually  slept  in  it. 

The  old  King  and  Prince  Crystal  died  the  same  year, 
and  Feather  Head  became  King  when  he  was  just 
twenty.  Princess  Crystal  at  once  went  to  see  Fancy 
Tansy,  who  was  her  own  godmother,  and  begged  of  her 
to  give  the  young  King  some  good  advice. 

"  My  son  is  the  best,  the  handsomest,  and  the  clever- 
est King,"  said  she,  "  but  he  is  always  doing  the  most 
foolish  things,  and  getting  into  trouble.  If  I  say  a  word 
to  him  he  laughs,  and  shakes  his  white  feather  at  me, 
and  looks  so  handsome  that  I  forget  what  I  meant  to 
say,  and  if  any  one  else  ventures  to  advise  or  remon- 
strate, '  Hold  your  tongue,'  says  Feather  Head,  the 
moment  he  hears  a  word  he  does  hot  like." 

"  I  know,"  said  Fancy  Tansy,  nodding,  "  it  is  all 
Poppy's  doing,  my  dear ;  however,  I  shall  look  after 
him." 

"  Fancy  Tansy  is  coming  to  see  you,"  said  Princess 


fEA  TI/ER  HEAD.  225 

Cr\-stal  to  Feather  Head,  when  she  cainc  home,  "  miiiJ 
}0u  are  civil  to  her;"  and  Feather  Head,  who  was  a 
good-natured  youn^  KinL,^  promised  to  be  very  pohte. 

He  was  alone  in  his  room  one  day  when  the  window 
flew  open,  and  in  whisked  Fancy  Tansy  in  a  little  tor- 
toise-shell car  drawn  by  two  blue  griffins.  The  car  being 
a  fairy  like  its  owner,  immediately  became  so  small  that 
on  alighting,  Fancy  Tansy  put  it  on  the  table  ;  and  the 
griffins,  fairies  too,  who  were  a  sort  of  pony  griffin,  and 
remarkably  diminutive,  got  under  the  sofa,  and  thence 
stared  at  Feather  Head. 

"  Now,  what  are  you  doing  ?  "  said  Fancy  Tansy,  for 
the  young  King  was  sitting  back  in  his  chair,  his  heels 
were  on  the  table,  and  he  was  kicking  at  something,  first 
with  one  foot,  then  with  the  other. 

"  Don't  you  see,"  answered  Feather  Head,  "  I  am 
kicking  that  sunbeam.'' 

"  How  silly  )-ou  must  be,"  said  Fancy  Tansy. 
"  Feather  Head,  you  oufrht  to  get  married." 

Feather  Head  did  not  like  Fancy  Tansy's  fashion  of 
coming  in  through  the  window,  he  did  not  like  being 
called  silly,  and  he  had  no  wish  to  get  married  just  yet  ; 
but  all  this  he  could  have  borne,  if  it  had  not  been  for 


226  FEATHER  HEAD. 

the  griffins,  and  the  way  they  winked  at  him  with  their 
little  cunning-  black  eyes,  that  seemed  to  say,  "  Come, 
now,  no  nonsense  ;  that  may  do  for  Fancy  Tansy,  but 
it  will  not  do  for  us.  Bless  you,  Feather  Head,  we 
know  all  about  you."  Indeed,  these  griffins  provoked 
the  young  King  so  much,  that  though  he  went  on  kick- 
ing the  sunbeam,  he  also  tried  to  get  a  sly  kick  at 
them. 

"  Feather  Head,"  said  Fancy  Tansy,  "  I  see  what  you 
are  at.     Take  off  \'our  cap." 

"  I  won't,"  said  Feather  Head  ;  upon  which  the  little 
tortoise-shell  car  grew  large  again,  the  griffins  came  out 
from  under  the  sofa,  and  Fancy  Tans}-,  car  and  griffins, 
all  whisked  away  tnrough  the  window. 

The  next  time  Fancy  Tansy  came  in  through  the 
window  in  her  tortoise-shell  car  and  griffins,  she  found 
Feather  Head  sitting  back  in  his  chair  with  his  heels 
up  on  the  table. 

"At  it  again,"  said  Fancy  Tansy;  "now,  what  do 
you  do  that   for  }  " 

"  I  think  you  are  always  at  it,"  said  Feather  Head, 
and  he  was  going  to  add  that  he  was  kicking  a  sun- 
beam, when  he  caught  the  little  griffins  staring  at  him 


FEATHER  HEAD.  227 

from  under  the  sofa,  and  their  Httlc  black  ejxs  sa\-in;^ 
as  plain  as  plain  could  be :  "  Come,  none  of  your 
!ionsense,  Fancy  Tansy  may  believe  that,  but  we  know- 
better." 

"  Featlier  Head,"  said  the  Fairy,  "  I  have  got  a  beau- 
tiful Princess  for  you,  and  you  must  marry  her." 

"  I  don't  mind  if  I  do,"  said  Feather  I^ead,  for  he 
thought  that  if  he  were  once  married  Fanc\'  Tansy 
would  not  come  so  often  ;  but  when  the  Fairy  went  on 
to  say  that  the  Princess  was  very  rich  and  had  this 
thing  and  that  thing,  he  asked  quite  sharply,  "  Has  she 
got  griffins  ?  " 

"  Four,"  said  Fancy  Tansy. 

"  Then,"  said  Feather  Head,  "  I'll  never  marry  her." 

"  Take  off  your  cap,"  said  Fancy  Tansy. 

"  I  won't,"  answered  Feather  Head,  for  he  saw  the 
griffins  blinking  and  winking  at  him  from  under  the 
sofa,  and  he  felt  so  sure  it  was  the\-  who  made  all  the 
mischief,  that  he  got  quite  cross. 

"Feather  Head,"  said  the  Fairy,  "if  you  do  not 
marry  the  Princess  I  have  got  for  you,  and  if  }'ou  do 
not  take  off  your  cap  this  moment,  you  shall  not  see 
me  or  my  griffins  in  a  hurr\'." 


228  FEA  THER  HEAD. 

•'  So  much  the  better,"  cried  Feather  Head  in  a  rage, 
"  for  I  am  tired  of  being  lectured  and  snubbed  by  you 
and  your  griffins,  and  I  will  neither  marry  your  Princess 
nor  take  off  my  cap." 

The  words  were  scarcely  out  of  his  mouth  when  the 
window  flew  open,  and  car,  griffins,  and  Fairy  were 
gone. 

Feather  Head  never  kept  long  of  the  same  mind. 
Fancy  Tansy  was  scarcely  out  of  sight  when  he  thought 
he  might  as  well  have  married  the  Princess.  He  was 
sorry  lie  had  not  asked  her  name,  but  when  some  one 
told  him  that  Ruby  was  the  most  beautiful  Princess 
living,  he  made  up  his  mind  to  marry  her  if  she  would 
have  him.  Princess  Ruby  agreed  to  become  his  Queen 
provided  he  came  to  fetch  her.  Feather  Head  accord- 
ingly set  off  with  a  great  suite,  and  travelled  night  and 
day  till  he  came  to  the  Princess's  countr\\  As  soon  as 
Feather  Head  saw  Ruby  he  fell  desperately  in  love  with 
her,  and  the  moment  she  saw  him  in  his  blue  satin  cap 
with  the  white  feather  in  it,  she  declared  he  was  the 
handsomest  and  the  grandest  King  she  had  ever  seen. 

"  Tell  him  to  take  off  his  cap,"  said  the  Princess'  nurse 
to  her. 


FEATHER  HEAD.  220 

"  Oil,  nurse  !"  answered  Ruby,  "  tliat  would  be  a  i)it\', 
he  looks  so  well  in  it." 

"  I  don't  like  that  nurse  of  }'ours,"  said  Feather  Head 
to  Ruby,  "  and  what  are  these  black  cats  that  are  always 
after  her  ? "  For  he  thought  the  nurse's  black  cats 
looked  like  the  blue  griffins. 

"  Cats  !  "  said  the  Princess,  "  well,  they  are  cats  to  be 
sure.  Are  you  fond  of  jugged  hare .-' "  she  went  on; 
"  because  I  am,  and,  oh  !  Feather  Head,  I  should  so  like 
a  hare  of  \'Our  shooting." 

"  Then  you  shall  have  one  to-morrow,"  said  Feather 
Head,  who  knew  he  was  a  first-rate  marksman. 

Early  the  next  morning  Feather  Head  took  a  gun  and 
went  out.  He  had  not  walked  long  in  the  park  before 
a  fine  hare  ran  past  him.  He  was  taking  aim  when  the 
Hare  said  :  "  Why,  Feather  Head,  what  do  you  want 
with  that  gun  ?  " 

Feather  Head  answered  :  "  I  am  going  to  shoot  }'ou, 
and  take  you  home  to  the  Princess." 

"Why  not  catch  me  alive,"  said  the  Hare.  "It  will  be 
greater  fun,  besides  I  am  much  handsomer  alive  than 
dead.  Throw  down  that  gun  and  run  after  me,  not  that 
I  can  run,  for  as  you  see  1  have  a  bad  foot." 


230  FEATHER  HEAD. 

Feather  Head  looked  at  the  Hare,  and  saw  that  she 
was  Hmping  ;  so  throwing  down  his  gun,  he  agreed  to 
take  her  aHve. 

"  Ah !  but  let  us  have  some  sport  first,"  said  the 
Hare. 

"  To  be  sure,"  answered  Feather  Head.  *'  Start 
fair." 

The  Hare  began  leaping  on  before  him,  and  Feather 
Head  followed  her  close,  but  somehow  or  other,  the 
Hare,  though  she  limped  sadly  at  first,  limped  less 
and  less  as  she  ran,  and  got  farther  and  farther  from 
Featlier  Head. 

"  You  go  too  fast,"  said  he. 

"Nonsense,"  said  the  Hare;  "keep  up  with  me.  I 
am  sure  you  can  if  you  try." 

On  hearing  this.  Feather  Head  did  his  best,  but  the 
faster  he  ran  the  faster  ran  the  Hare,  and  the  greater 
grew  the  distance  between  them.  Feather  Head  be- 
came very  hot,  and  thought  he  would  take  off  his  cap, 
which  his  mother  had  always  made  him  fasten  under 
his  chin  for  fear  of  accidents  ;  but  when  the  Hare  saw 
what  he  was  about,  she  protested. 

"  Oh,  Feather  Head,  how  can  you  .-'"  said  she.  "  Why, 


FEATHER  HEAD.  2.?i 

to  see  you  runniiiij  with  that  cap  on  your  head  and  that 
white  feather  flyinf^,  is  quite  a  treat  to  me. " 

'' Very  well,"  answered  Feather  Head,  "I  shall  keep 
the  cap  on  to  please  you,  though  I  often  wish  I  had 
never  had  it,  it  is  so  hot  and  uncomfortable  at  times  ; 
but  }-ou  must  not  run  so  fast,  besides,  you  don't  limp 
now." 

"  It  is  the  running,"  answered  the  Hare  ;  "  it  has  done 
me  a  world  of  good.  I  should  like  a  run  with  you  every 
morning,  Feather  Head." 

"That  can't  be,"  said  Feather  Head;  "the  Princess 
nmst  have  you  to-day." 

"Well,  then,  since  this  is  to  be  our  last  run,"  said  the 
Hare,  ''  let  it  be  a  good  one." 

So  off  3he  went  like  the  wind,  and  Feather  Head, 
though  no  one  had  ever  beaten  him  running,  was  soon 
quite  exhausted.  He  threw  himself  down  panting,  and 
had  only  just  breath  enough  to  say,  "  Stop  a  bit,  will 
}'ou.     I  can't  go  on  any  farther." 

The  Hare  replied  that  she  did  not  mind  taking  a  rest. 
So  she,  too,  threw  herself  down  opposite  him,  and  lay 
nibbling  the  grass.  When  she  had  eaten  enough,  she 
asked  Feather  Head  if  he  was  readv. 


232  FEATHER  HEAD. 

"  Oh,  dear  no,"  answered  he. 

When  the  Hare  heard  this,  she  rose,  looked  at  him, 
laughed  in  his  face,  and  leaped  away.  In  a  second  she 
had  vanished  under  cover,  but  Feather  Head,  who  started 
up  to  follow  her,  could  hear  her  laughing  as  she  went, 
and  all  the  echoes  round  said  "  Ha,  ha  !  "  with  the  Hare, 
and  laughed  at  him. 

In  his  vexation.  Feather  Head  tore  off  his  cap, 
"  Why,  what  a  ninny  I  have  been,"  said  he  as  soon  as  it 
was  off  his  head  ;  "  who  ever  heard  of  running  after  a 
hare  t  No  wonder  she  laughed  at  me."  But  the  moment 
he  put  on  his  cap  again  to  go  back  to  the  palace,  he 
began  to  think  he  had  not  been  so  foolish  after  all,  only 
a  little  unlucky.  He  was  sorry,  however,  to  disappoint 
the  Princess  of  her  jugged  hare,  "  I  must  get  her 
something  else  instead,"  thought  Feather  Head. 

Feather  Head  never  travelled  without  all  his  cooks. 
The  moment  he  reached  the  palace  he  sent  for  them, 
and  bade  them  tell  him  of  some  wonderful  dish  which 
he  could  cook  himself  for  Princess  Ruby.  The  head 
cook  said  one  thing,  and  the  under  cook  said  another 
thing,  and  Feather  Head  disliked  all  their  sugges- 
tions. 


FEATHER  HEAD,  233 

•'  Give  me  your  cookery-book,"  said  he  to  the  head 
cook. 

Wlicii  Feather  Head  had  the  cookery-book,  he  read 
it  all  throir^h  till  he  came  to  the  receii)t  for  a  sweet 
omelet :  "  To  one  ^g\\\  of  cream  put  four  well-beaten 
eggs,  sugar,  cinnamon,  and  a  pinch  of  salt,  fry  a  nice 
light  brown  on  a  slow  fire,  sift  fine  sugar  over." 

"The  easiest  thing  in  the  world,"  thought  Feather 
Head,  "  and  much  nicer  than  jugged  hare.  I  shall 
make  it  myself." 

Feather  Head  asked  for  cream,  eggs,  sugar,  cinnamon, 
and  salt,  then  went  down  to  the  kitchen,  locked  himself 
in,  and  set  about  making  his  omelet.  "  The  great  thing 
is  to  beat  the  eggs  well,"  thought  he. 

So  he  beat  up  his  eggs,  and  was  a  long  time  about  it. 
The  shells  gave  him  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  for  as  the 
book  said  nothing  about  throwing  them  away.  Feather 
Head  took  care  to  keep  them  every  one.  When  he 
was  tired  beating  up  the  eggs,  he  fried  his  omelet  a  nice 
light  brown,  as  the  book  had  said,  sifted  fine  sugar 
over  it,  and  sent  it  up  to  the  Princess,  with  his  compli- 
ments, and  he  hoped  she  would  like  it  much  better  than 
jugged  hare.       The  Princess  sent  back  her  compliments 


234  FEATHER  HEAD. 

to  Feather  Head,  and  said  she  was  very  much  obliged 
to  him.  But  she  was  so  vexed  at  not  getting  the  hare 
he  had  promised  her,  that  she  would  not  touch  the 
omelet.  She  pretended  to  have  the  toothache,  and  told 
her  maids  of  honour  they  might  eat  it  if  they  pleased. 
When  the  first  maid  of  honour  tasted  the  omelet  a 
piece  of  egg-shell  cut  her  tongue. 

"  What  a  delicious  omelet,"  said  she. 

When  the  second  maid  of  honour  tasted  the  omelet, 
a  bit  of  the  egg-shell  got  between  her  teeth. 

"  Such  a  flavour,"  said  she. 

"Delicious!  a  flavour!"  said  the  third  maid  of 
honour  ;  "  why,  there  never  was  such  an  omelet  yet ;" 
and  she  swallowed  a  large  piece  of  egg-shell  as  she 
spoke. 

When  Princess  Ruby  heard  them  all  praising  the 
omelet  so  much,  she  thought  she  would  like  a  bit. 

"My  toothache  is  better,"  said  she,  "give  me  just 
one  little  wee  morsel  to  taste  King  Feather  Head's 
omelet." 

But  the  moment  the  bit  of  omelet  was  in  her  mouth, 
the  Princess  gave  a  little  scream. 

"  Wh}',  this  omelet  is  made  of  egg-shells  !  "  said  she. 


FEATHER  HEAD.  235 

'Mlas  King  Feather  Head  done  it  to  affront  nic  ?  I 
have  a  great  mind  never  to  look  at  him  again." 

"Well,  it  was  too  bad  of  King  Feather  Head,"  said 
the  three  maids  of  honour,  "and  if  \oiir  Ro\-al  Iligii- 
ness  were  not  so  sweet-tempered  as  }-ou  are,  \-ou 
would  never  forgive  him," 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  said  the  Princess,  "  and  go  and 
tell  King  Feather  Head  to  come  up  to  me." 

"My  dear,"  said  the  nurse  of  the  Princess,  who  sat 
knitting  behind  her  chair,  "  tell  Feather  Head  to  take 
off  his  cap." 

When  Feather  Head  came,  expecting  to  be  praised 
for  his  omelet,  the  Princess  scolded  him,  so  that  he  was 
in  despair. 

"  It  is  all  the  fault  of  that  stupid  cookery-book,"  he 
was  going  to  say,  when  he  caught  the  nurse's  black  cats 
peeping  from  under  the  Princess's  chair,  and  winking 
and  blinking  at  him  as  much  as  to  say,  "  Come,  now,  no 
nonsense." 

"  My  dear  Ruby,"  said  he,  "  how  can  you  keep  these 
hideous  little  beasts  about  you  } " 

"  Beasts  !  what  beasts  !  you  do  not  mean  nurse's  cats," 
said  Ruby  ;  "  she  has  promised  me  four  kittens." 


236  FEATHER  HEAD. 

"They  maybe  cats,"  said  Feather  Head,  "  but  they 
look  very  like  griffins,  and  I  would  drown  the  kittens  if 
I  were  you." 

This  reminded  the  Princess  that  she  was  to  tell 
Feather  Head  to  take  off  his  cap,  but  when  she  looked 
at  him  she  found  him  so  handsome  with  that  blue  cap 
and  white  feather  that  she  could  not  make  up  her  mind 
to  do  it.  "  I  don't  think  I  could  marry  him  if  he  had 
not  his  cap  on,"  thought  Ruby,  so  she  said  nothing 
about  it. 

"  And  now,"  thought  Feather  Head,  when  he  and 
Princess  Ruby  were  friends  again,  "  what  am  I  to  do  .-' 
The  Hare  would  not  wait  till  I  caught  it,  the  stupid 
book  never  told  me  to  throw  away  the  egg-shells. 
What  nice  thing  shall  I  get  to  please  Ruby  .'' " 

Feather  Head  would  have  liked  to  get  that  nice  thing 
for  the  next  day's  dinner,  which  was  to  be  a  grand  one  ; 
but  he  could  neither  cook  it  himself  nor  let  any  one 
cook  it  for  him,  and  so,  though  he  thought  and  thought 
till  his  head  ached,  he  found  out  nothing  for  the  whole  of 
that  da\'. 

The  next  morning  Feather^Head  rode  out,  still  think- 
insf  of  the   nice   thincr  he  could   fjet  for  the   Princess. 


FEATHER  HEAD.  237 

A?  he  passed  by  a  cottage  he  saw  a  beehive,  and  it 
so  happened  that  he  had  never  seen  one  before. 

"What  is  that  ?"  said  Featlier  Head  to  his  servant. 

"  A  beehive,  your  Majesty." 

'*  And  what  is  there  inside  of  it } "  aslved  I'cather 
Head. 

The  servant  reph'ed  tliat  there  was  honey  within  the 
beehive,  but  he  did  not  say  that  there  were  bees  too. 

"  Honey  !  "  said  Feather  Head.  "  Why,  honey  is 
sweet  stuff  of  course  ;  it  is  delicious  sweet  stuff;  I  re- 
member all  about  it." 

And  in  a  moment  it  flashed  across  his  mind  that 
Princess  Ruby  was  very  fond  of  sweet  things,  and  that 
he  could  not  do  l)etter  than  get  that  beehive  and  set 
it  on  the  table  for  the  dessert. 

"But  it  must  be  a  surprise,"  thought  Feather  Head  ; 
"  not  a  word  about  it  must  I  say  till  the  time  comes." 

So  he  rode  back  to  the  palace  without  so  much  as 
giving  the  beehive  another  look.  As  he  was  going 
upstairs,  he  met  Princess  Ruby  coming  down,  and 
when  he  saw  her  he  could  not  help  boasting  a  little. 
"  Ah  ha  !  "  said  he,  "you  still  think  about  the  jugged 
hare,  I  daresa}-,  and  about  the  sweet  omelet,  and   )'ou 


23S  FEATHER  HEAD. 

do  not  know  what  a  noble  dish  I  am  going  to  have 
for  you  and  your  guests  by  and  by.  Do  not  ask 
me  what  it  is,  because  I  will  never  tell." 

"  Shall  I  guess  ?"  asked  Ruby. 

"You  may  guess,"  said  Feather  Head,  "but  I  shall 
never  tell." 

The  Princess  named  many  things,  but  she  never 
thought  of  honey,  and  Feather  Head  laughed  and  was 
delighted. 

When  dinner  time  came  round  Feather  Head  bade 
his  servant  take  the  cloth  of  gold  which  he  kept  for 
state  occasions,  and  follow  him  with  four  of  his  hand- 
somest pages.  He  then  rode  off  to  the  cottage,  and 
bade  his  servant  throw  the  cloth  of  gold  over  the 
beehive. 

"  May   it   please   your  Majesty,"  began  the   man. 

"Hold  your  tongue,"  said  Feather  Head  ;  "do  as  I 
bid  you,  and  let  my  pages  carry  this  beehive  to  the 
palace." 

The  servant  did  as  he  was  bid,  and  the  pages 
took  up  the  beehive,  and  carried  it  off  in  state. 

"  Stop,  stop  !  "  cried  a  boy,  running  out  of  the  cot- 
tacre. 


FFATIIJ^.R  HEAD.  23Q 

"Take  that,"  said  Feather  Head,  tossing  him  a 
purse  oi  gold,  "and  hold  your  tongue." 

"  May  it  please  your  IMajest}-,"  said  the  boy. 

"  Hold  \-our  tongue,"  said  Feather  Head,  and  he 
rode  away  in  a  great  hurry,  and  would  not  listen  to 
the  bo}',  who  was  only  going  to  tell  him  that  there 
were  neither  bees  nor  honey  in  the  hive,  which  was  an 
old  one,  but  only  a  set  of  wasps  who  had  got  in  there, 
and  whom  his  father  was  going  to  burn  out  that  very 
night. 

"  1  think  we  will  not  wait  for  dessert."  said  Feather 
Head  to  the  pages,  "  take  that  beehive  in,  and  lay  it  on 
the  table  before  the  Princess." 

"  May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  said  the  pages. 

"  Hold  your  tongue,"  said  Feather  Head.  So  the 
pages  did  as  they  were  bid.  When  the  guests  came  in 
and  saw  the  cloth  of  gold,  they  wondered  what  delicious 
dish  was  under  it,  and  they  all  sat  down  expecting 
something  the\'  had  never  had  before.  Princess  Ruby 
was  very  impatient  to  know  what  Feather  Head  had 
brought  her  in  such  state. 

•■'  Feather  Head  !  "  said  she,  "do  get  that  cloth  taken 
off,  if  you  please." 


240  FEATHER  HEAD. 

"  Take  off  the  cloth,"  said  Feather  Pieaci  to  the 
pages. 

The  pages  took  off  the  cloth,  and  the  Princess  and 
the  guests  stared  when  thej'  saw  a  beehive. 

"  That  is  a  beehive,"  said  Feather  Head  to  the 
Princess  ;  "  I  daresay  you  had  never  seen  a  beehive 
before." 

"  Indeed  I  had,"  she  answered  very  crossly,  for  she 
was  quite  disappointed. 

"Well,  I  had  not,"  said  Feather  Head,  "and  it  is  full 
©f  hone\',  and  \-ou  like  honey,  I  am  sure." 

"  Yes,  but  I  don't  like  it  out  of  a  beehive,"  said 
Ruby,  still  very  cross;  "  and  I  do  not  like  bees.  Bees  I 
why,  these  are  wasps !  "  she  cried,  as  a  whole  swarm 
came  out  of  the  hive,  buzzing  about  the  room,  settling 
on  all  the  dishes,  and  stinging  the  people  right  and  left. 
Princess  Ruby  was  one  of  the  first  stung,  and  flew 
out  of  the  room  screaming. 

Well,  there  never  had  been  af  Princess  Ruby's  court 
anything  like  the  disturbance  there  was  now  with  these 
wasps.  Every  one  pushed  and  tumbled  against  every- 
body else,  and  still  more  wasps  came  out  of  the  hive, 
buzzing  and  stinging,  till  every  one  fled  before  them  ;  and 


Ji_Jl_U 


'  There  never  haj  been  at  Princess  Ruby's  ourt  anything  like  th'  disturbance  there  was 
now  with  these  wnsps." — Page  240. 


I- RATHER  HEAD.  241 

the  room  and  tlie  palace  were  full  of  them,  and  Feather 
Head  was  beside  himself  with  shame  and  vexation.  He 
sent  for  his  servant,  and  threw  all  the  blame  upon  him. 
"  How  dare  you  bring  that  beehive  in  here?"  said  he  in  a 
rao-e  ;  "  why  did  you  tell  me  there  was  honey  in  it  when 
it  was  full  of  wasps  ?" 

"  Your  Majesty  told  me  to  hold  my  tongue,"  an- 
swered the  man;  "besides  I  did  not  know  there  were 
wasps  in  the  hive." 

"Then  the  boy  knew;  go  and  fetch  that  boy  that  I 
may  have  him  hung,"  cried  Feather  Head,  who  was 
still  in  a  great  passion. 

The  servant  went  and  fetched  the  boy. 

"  You  knew  there  were  wasps  in  that  hive,  and  you 
never  told  me,"  said  Feather  Head  to  the  boy.  "  You 
shall  hanjT  for  it." 

"  May  it  please  your  Majesty,"  said  the  boy,  "  you 
bade  me  hold  my  tongue." 

"  Then  I  cannot  hang  you,"  said  Feather  Head,  "  nor 
the  pages,  for  I  bade  them  hold  their  tongue,  nor 
myself,  for  I  am  always  doing  foolish  things,  and  I 
never  know  why,  and  all  I  can  do  is  to  go  and  beg 
lluby's  pardon." 


242  FEATHER  HEAD. 

At  first  no  one  could  tell  Feather  Head  where 
Princess  Ruby  had  gone  to.  At  length,  a  little  page 
said  she  was  in  a  summer  house  that  overlooked  the 
sea  at  the  end  of  the  garden,  and  her  nurse  was  with 
her  bathing  her  face,  on  account  of  all  the  wasps  that 
had  stung  her. 

Feather  Head  went  off  at  once  to  seek  the  Princess, 
but  the  moment  he  entered  the  summer-house,  and  she 
saw  him.  Ruby  cried  out,  *'  Go  away ;  I  hate  you.  Go 
away  directly." 

But  Feather  Head,  instead  of  going  away,  threw  him- 
self on  his  knees  at  her  feet,  and  begged  her  to  forgive 
him. 

"  I  tell  you  I  hate  you,  and  your  cap  and  feather," 
said  Ruby,  who  had  a  very  quick  temper,  and  in  her 
rage  she  snatched  the  cap  off  his  head,  and  flung  it  out 
of  the  window  into  the  sea.  The  moment  his  cap  was 
off.  Feather  Head  stared  and  burst  out  laughing. 

"  Well,  there  never  was  such  a  ridiculous  fellow  as 
I  have  been,"  said  he  ;  "  but  if  you  will  forgive  me 
this  time.  Ruby,  I  promise  never  to  be  so  foolish 
again." 

"  You  may  believe  him,  my  dear,"  said  the  nurse,  who 


FEATHER  HEAD.  2.13 

turned  into  Fancy  Tansy,  and  was  up  in  licr  car  with 
the  cats  turned  into  griffins  all  in  a  moment.  "  Feather 
Head  will  be  very  sensible  now.  It  was  all  Poppy's 
doing.  Poor  Feather  Head,  did  you  not  know  it  was 
she  who  ran  as  the  Hare,  and  laughed  at  you,  and 
enjoyed  \-our  folly,  and  that  she  wrote  that  cookery- 
book,  and  kept  the  wasps  quiet  in  the  hive  till  it  was 
on  the  table  ?  But  I  was  your  friend,  Feather  Head, 
}-ou  may  tell  your  mother  so.  Now,  good-bye,  and 
behave  well,  both  of  you,  and  Ruby  has  four  griffins 
after  all,  Feather  Head." 

And  away  she  flew  through  the  air,  leaving  Feather 
Head  bare-headed,  but  as  wise  a  King  as  ever  was,  and 
Ruby  with  every  sting  gone  from  her  face,  and  the 
loveliest  four  little  griflftns  frisking  about  her. 

"  My  dear  Ruby,"  said  Feather  Head,  "what  beautiful 
little  creatures  these  are." 

"  Oh,  they  are  only  kittens,"  said  Ruby  ;  '*  but  since  it 
was  all  nurse's  doing,  I  am  very  sorry  I  threw  your  cap 
into  the  sea,  Feather  Head.  You  do  not  look  half  so 
well  since  you  are  without  it.  I  shall  send  a  diver  down 
Cor  it." 

Feather  Head  was  in  despair  when  he  heard  her  say- 


244  FEATHER  HEAD. 

ing  this,  for  he  knew  what  would  happen  if  he  got  the 
cap  on  again.  But  though  the  Princess  was  obstinate, 
and  sent  ever  so  many  divers  down  for  the  cap,  and 
offered  ever  so  much  money  to  get  it  back  again,  no 
diver  could  find  it  for  her,  for  when  a  fairy  gift  is  lost  or 
thrown  away,  it  goes  back  to  the  fairy  who  bestowed  it, 
and  Feather  Head's  blue  satin  cap,  with  the  white 
feather,  had  returned  at  once  to  its  place  in  Poppy's 
palace,  where  it  was  quite  ready  for  any  one  to  whom 
the  Fairy  might  choose  to  give  it.  Feather  Head,  how- 
ever, never  had  it  again.  He  married  Ruby,  and  took 
her  home  to  his  kingdom,  and  became  the  wisest  King 
of  his  day. 

When  Princess  Crystal  saw  her  son  come  back  with- 
out his  cap,  she  was  inconsolable  at  the  loss.  It  was  no  use 
for  Fancy  Tansy  to  tell  her  hovi^  foolish  Feather  Head 
had  been  whilst  he  wore  that  cap,  Princess  Crystal 
would  answer  :  "  That  is  very  true,  but  it  was  the  hand- 
somest cap  I  ever  set  my  eyes  on,  and  I  never  saw  such 
a  feather." 

Rub}-,  too,  though  she  was  Queen,  and  very  happy 
with  Feather  Head,  could  not  get  used  to  him  without 
his  cap  for  a  long  time,  and  to  the  last  of  her  days  she 


FEATHER  HEAD. 


245 


was  vexed  with  herself  for  having,-  llunij  it  into  the  sea. 
But  Feather  Head  got  on  vers-  well  without  it,  ami, 
indeed,  he  was  so  much  afraid  of  <^etting  it  back  again, 
for  he  knew  how  mischievous  rairy  i^wppy  was,  tliat  he 
never  wore  a  cap  to  the  day  of  his  death. 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED  J 

LOAN  DEPT. 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  -which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subjea  to  immediate  recall. 

10Nov'5^.VD 

[     REC'D  LD 

i    NOV  2    1959 

1 

\7immk 

"ec-D  cr. 

^^65    iqcQ 

MAY  1  fi  ?nn^ 

^m'^'^'^^ 

.    y^-   ^ 

ftPR  2  S  '^'"'^ 

OCn 3)983    ^=1, 

»Ec.cm.ocT  ita 

Berkeley 

^/%^^s 


ft 


^s^; 


i^'^.md^ 


« 


i 


^*^t&.~ 


^  o 


f^20 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


£j«S' 


•3f> 


r 


V 


